Jiraiya's Apprentice
by Lady Phoenix Grey
Summary: What happens when Jiraiya has been incapacitated and unable to write his famous Make Out novels? Follow the adventures of his young apprentice as she works to fill in the awfully big wooden sandals and finish writing the novel before the deadline ends.
1. The New Arrivals

Jiraiya's Apprentice

Chapter 1

The New Arrivals

Outraged shrieks filled the air as two ninjas, a teenage girl and an old man, ran for their lives. Kunai, shuriken, and various stones whizzed past them as the duo deftly dodged the various missiles of death.

_It was supposed to be a simple mission_, the girl thought. _Just go in, observe, and get out._ She scowled at the old man running next to her. _But nooo! He just had to stay behind and get our cover blown. Some Toad Sage he is._ As the screams, shrieks, and yells got louder, the ninjas pooled more chakra to their feet and took to the trees, hoping to evade their enemies.

Blood surged in the girl's ears as she felt a rush of adrenaline course through her body and gave her a rush of energy. Her heart beat erratically as she and her partner kept jumping through the trees. She glanced down and growled in frustration. _Do they ever quit?_ The girl wondered.

"Jiraiya-sensei, if we ever get out of this, remind me to torture you and give you to Tsunade to castrate for later."

The old man, Jiraiya, gulped as he listened to his student's request. The girl's voice was calm and did not leave any room for argument. "But, Setsuna," he began, turning his head to look at his student. Before he could finish his plea, a flying tub hit him square in the face. "It was all part of the mission. And, in every mission, every ninja learns from his mistakes. And now, we know not to make a comment about a woman's chest right in front of her face," he continued in a more disoriented voice.

Setsuna, the girl, scoffed. "Oh, please. We'll talk about this later, after we lose the pests."

Before Jiraiya could say anything to lessen the girl's anger, Setsuna took out a scrap of paper and with a few hand signs, the word, fog, started to form on the scrap. Before the word fully emerged, she threw the paper in front of the enemies as she and Jiraiya put more chakra into their feet to get the hell out of there before the fog arrived. When they were a good distance away from their enemies, the duo reduced their pace into a sedate, but alert, walk.

"Learning experience? Learning experience?!" Setsuna shrieked. "We were supposed to relax after the mission and just go to the hot springs to study the women's behavior. You never said anything about putting the moves on them while you were in female disguise! Not every woman likes to be hit on by the same sex! Get your mind out of the gutter."

"If I did, little lady, you wouldn't be traveling with me, now would you?" Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows at the petite teenager. "Besides, I wasn't the one who asked the redhead if she was an A-cup."

Setsuna sighed. "My idol is a super-pervert." She rubbed her forehead and started to mumble to herself. "And I'm traveling with the said super-pervert to carry on his legacy. Why couldn't I just stick to reading his smut books?"

The Toad Sage gave her a look.

"Don't answer that. So, where are you off to next?" she quickly changed the subject as she brushed a strand of navy blue hair from her face.

"_We_ are going to Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village," Jiraiya answered as a glow of chakra pooled in his feet and he took off into the trees with Setsuna hastily keeping up with him. "There's someone I have to see—and someone you have to meet."

When he didn't elaborate, Setsuna didn't bother to push. It was a regular occurrence ever since the girl joined him in his travels. They would arrive at a civilian village and Jiraiya would leave her there while he went off to the nearest ninja village doing whatever it was that he was supposed to do. Later, they'd meet up and he would train her. When they were done, they would go to the hot springs for research on the next _Make Out_ novel and, through some weird twist of fate, they would get caught, and they would have to run for their lives until they had to go to the next village. To say that Setsuna was shocked at the change in routine would be an understatement. But, as much as she would like to know what was going on inside her sensei's mind, she knew it was futile—the old man could be very secretive when he wanted to be.

"So, what will I be doing in Konoha?" the girl asked to break the silence.

"What you would normally do in the other villages," Jiraiya answered. "The only difference is that there're more brats your age…and not all of them are civilians."

"Oh thank god," she mumbled. _I so did not want to hang out with those uptight, chauvinist bastards._

The two continued to travel in a companionable silence. When Setsuna craned her neck up to see the tall wooden gates, it was mid-afternoon and she desperately wanted a shower. _I wonder if there is any good hot springs around_, the blue-haired girl pondered. _I should look into it while I am researching. _

"Come on," Jiraiya said, interrupting the girl from her thoughts. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"Really?" Cerulean eyes widened. "What is it? Tell me!"

Jiraiya shook his head in refusal, his out-of-control gray locks swinging with the head movement. "Nuh-uh." Dark eyes twinkled in mischief. "It's a surprise."

Setsuna glared. "I hate you."

"You know you love me," he said, dismissing the teenager's statement. "Now come along, she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

She frowned as he dragged her to the tall building with a dome-shaped roof. "Since when did you start to care about punctuality?"

"I don't," Jiraiya replied flippantly. "But, you do, and you usually don't listen to me unless there's a pressing deadline or I'm teaching you something valuable."

Setsuna frowned. _Well_, she thought, _can't argue with sound logic._ She internally groaned. _God, I hope I don't have to wear a freaking kimono._

"Jiraiya," a woman's voice interrupted the teenager's internal struggle. Setsuna looked up to see a smiling woman with short, chin-length black hair. "You're here."

"You don't have to sound so surprised, Shizune," Jiraiya huffed. A second passed and his face turned serious. "How is the Slug-princess?"

_Slug-princess?_ The blue-haired girl thought. _Where have I heard that from? _

Shizune sighed. "She overindulged last night and she's knee-deep in paperwork this morning. How do you think she is?" The brunette woman retorted as they trekked up the stairs to the Hokage's office. She glanced at the blue-haired teenager. "I just came back from the hospital to check on her. So, who is the girl?"

"Her name's Setsuna," Jiraiya answered easily. "And, she's my apprentice."

"Apprentice? I thought Naruto is your apprentice."

"He is. Setsuna is my other apprentice," Jiraiya vaguely replied.

"Apprentice for what?"

Before Jiraiya could answer, the trio entered the Hokage's office to see a weary blonde woman with pigtails sitting in a desk with piles of paper littering her desk. The woman was slouching and resting her chin in her hand as she glared at the papers in front of her. She looked up from her glaring contest with the paper and her expression changed from pure irritation to relief as she saw the trio.

"Oh, good, you're here," the blonde woman said, looking at the older ninja. As the trio stepped closer to the Hokage's desk, hazel eyes narrowed in anger at Jiraiya. She held up an orange book with the words, _Make Out Lessons_, emblazoned across the top portion of the cover.

_So, the book has been published already?_ Setsuna briefly wondered.

"What the hell is this?!"


	2. Thrust into the Fray

Chapter 2

Thrust into the Fray

* * *

"Well?" the blonde Hokage demanded impatiently waiting as the trio remained silent. "I'm waiting."

Tension filled the air as the blonde stared down the Toad Sage, dirty novel in hand. The seconds dragged on slowly.

_This is like waiting for a king cobra to strike_, Setsuna thought as she waited under the stifling silence. As her eyes wandered over the novel, Setsuna glanced at the woman on the cover and the woman behind the desk. She blinked. _Oh, crap._

"Jiraiya-sensei, please tell me you didn't," the teenager murmured slowly, as if unable to process the new information. Suddenly, the girl's demeanor changed as her hand curled into a fist. _Must control temper. Must not kill sensei._

Jiraiya turned his head rapidly as he looked to and fro from the extremely pissed off blonde woman to the about-to-become-pissed-off blue-haired teenage girl. His forehead started to sweat. He didn't know who he should be afraid of more.

"Please, Tsunade-princess, let me explain," he pleaded as left hand scratched the back of his neck while he waved his right arm in a pacifying manner.

"Explain?" Tsunade parroted in disbelief. "I told you to destroy that picture years ago! What is it doing on the front cover of this…this…this smut?"

"I, uh,…." Jiraiya began. Before he could explain himself, the ground shook as a thunderous boom could be heard from a distance.

"What the hell was that?" Setsuna cried. Before anyone could answer her, alarms blared throughout the village.

"Oh, shit." She heard the blonde Hokage, Tsunade, mutter as she sprung from her desk and started running outside. The others followed after her, knowing there was something horribly wrong.

They reached outside and were met with a state of chaos. Blood was everywhere as ninjas with blue forehead protectors fought against ninjas wearing a black cloak with red clouds and other ninjas with scratched forehead protectors but without the black cloaks.

Setsuna grimaced. _Lackeys_, she inferred from their outfits. She surveyed the scene before her. "So, the non-black cloaks, are they lackeys?" she asked her sensei for confirmation. At her peripheral vision, she saw a nod.

"Which organization? And, what's their agenda?" she asked curiously as she fell into step with Jiraiya, who was running as if his life depended on it.

"Akatsuki. They're after Naruto." His expression no longer carefree, Jiraiya held his palm out and blue chakra started to gather. He turned to his apprentice. "I think it's time for you to start learning the fine art of fighting."

Before she could reply, he joined the fray and the little blue ball of chakra violently pushed back one of the black-cloak ninjas. Setsuna followed after her sensei, dodging and weaving in and out of the fighting crowds as she went and kicking and punching any cloak-less enemy in her way. _For some reason, the lackeys think I'm weak_, she noted as she elbowed a random enemy ninja and continued making her way through the barrage of cloak-less minions. She snuck a quick glance and noticed the other more experienced Konoha ninjas were extremely busy with at least one black-cloaked enemy. _Either they think I am really young or I'm more popular among the civilians. Eh, it's just as well._

By the time she cleared her way through the never-ending minions, she found herself surrounded by the three lackeys she previously kicked and punched. Her right eye involuntarily twitched as she gave an annoyed grunt.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" she absently asked. "You couldn't stay down?"

"We're not that easy," one lackey said.

"Oh, poo," Setsuna pouted. "It's never like how they show fight scenes in the movies. Usually, it takes one awesome punch for the villain to be knocked unconscious."

Another lackey snorted. "This is real life, sweet cheeks. You shouldn't base real life on action movies."

Cerulean eyes glared and changed to a dark teal. She shrugged, putting her hands together as if in prayer. "I guess I'm going to have to kill you, then."

Before they could react, the girl's hands rapidly formed signs as she shouted, "_Etoku no jikan!_" The air rippled and the minions remained frozen in their positions. Automatically, she reached into her weapons holster on her right thigh and took out a tantō. With swift, precise movements, she killed them, slicing their torsos, their throats, or any of their unprotected vital areas. By the time the minions finally registered what happened, they were lying in a pool of their own blood.

Setsuna stood over their bodies, handkerchief in hand as she wiped the blood from her weapon. "Definitely been a while," she murmured, putting the weapon in her holster. "Now to catch up to the master pervert and find the blond."

* * *

2

The girl continued to run through the village, searching for her sensei and Naruto. Time seemed to stop as she passed by ninjas of varying rank fight the Akatsuki or its lackeys. She couldn't tell if it had been five minutes or an hour. As she turned a corner, she came to a halt as a line of six minions formed a wall before her, barring her from the others. The tallest of them grinned maliciously.

_Damn that Akatsuki! Don't they ever run out of minions?_ Setsuna thought as she waited for the new set of minions to strike. _They're like gnats._

"End of the line, sweetheart," he said.

"Oh, please," Setsuna snorted, taking out her tantō. "Come up with something more original."

Without a second thought, she launched herself at the wall of minions. _Punch, stab, kick_ were the only thoughts on her mind as she continued to fight the lackeys. Still, even when they were down, they still kept on coming like mosquitoes on a humid day. Six became seven, seven became eight, and eight became twelve. Setsuna found herself stepping back as the ever-growing number of lackeys continued to step forward, effectively backing her into a corner.

_Oh, crap_, she thought. Panic bubbled in her gut as she fought to school her features to a somewhat bored expression. Just as she was about to brace herself for the onslaught of attacks, loud shouts were heard as a large, oddly-looking lion attacked the minions that were herded in the middle, creating chaos in its wake. Not one to miss an opportunity, Setsuna stabbed the minion in front of her and continued to fight her way through the chaos as she made her way to the odd-looking lion. She was met with the sight of a pale boy her age fighting the rest of the minions with a kunai in hand.

The boy paused in his fighting to notice her. He gave a blank smile as he gave her a quick once over.

Setsuna shifted under the boy's stare. "Uh, thanks," she said. "My name's Setsuna."

"I'm Sai," the boy replied. He moved to fight. "Toy swords are good for playtime. But, when it comes to the real battles, they won't do much good."

"Jerk!" Setsuna moved to block the minion's attack and countered with a roundhouse kick to the abdomen and sent him flying. "At least I'm not the one who had the poor taste to have my fashion statement be a total rip off from a girl."

"What are you talking about?" Sai asked in an even tone.

Setsuna snuck a glance at the pale ninja. He was busy fighting three enemies in an outfit similar to hers. She snorted as she brought her attention back to her own set of enemies. "Oh, please, as if you don't know. The bare midriff?" She rolled her eyes. "You look like you're a wounded soldier from afar. One could mistake the bare expanse of skin as bandages. And those sleeves? Asymmetrical sleeves are so passé."

She found herself facing three enemies. _Perfect_, she grinned. She stepped forward, brought her knee up and kicked the enemy in front of her. Then, without stopping, she brought her knee down and kicked the enemy next to her behind his left knee. After, she delivered a roundhouse kick to the last enemy. When she finished, she looked around to see the lackeys lying in a pile beaten, unconscious, and some of them were bloody.

She turned to Sai and said, "I'm pretty sure I missed the vital parts."

Sai looked at her and Setsuna had a feeling that the smile of his was superficial and almost doll-like. After a moment that felt like hours and with that fake smile, he pointed at her chest and said, "Those steamed buns you used to stuff them look realistic. I almost couldn't tell the difference."

Setsuna looked down at her chest and looked back to the blankly-smiling teenager. Her right eye twitched as her right hand tightened its grip over the tantō. _Do they really look like it?_ She asked herself, feeling a brief moment of insecurity. She shook off the feeling and briefly considered castrating the anemic-looking boy. But then, she thought better of it. _If I did, I might get sent to prison for attempted murder_, she considered.

Instead, she glared at the teenage boy. "I'll have you know that I'm not stuffing anything, jerk." The blue-haired girl huffed. "But, that's beside the point. I have to find Naruto."

At the mention of the blonde's name, the duo took off at a run with Sai taking the lead.

"How do you know Dickless?" Sai asked.

"Are you referring to Naruto?" He nodded. "He travelled with me and Jiraiya-sensei. Now, answer me this question. Why are the Akatsuki after Naruto?"

"They want something that he has."

"Can you be more specific?" Setsuna asked, frustrated.

"I'm not allowed to say." The two lapsed into silence as they continued looking for the elusive blond ninja.

* * *

3

It took some time for the duo to find the blond ninja dressed in orange and black, fighting alongside a pink-haired teenage girl, and a green spandex-wearing teenage boy. The trio was busy with, what looked to be, more experienced lackeys, judging by the amount of perspiration radiating from the three ninjas.

"Setsu!" Naruto greeted happily as he punched a burly man in the eye. "I didn't know you were coming. When did you arrive?"

"Just before the alarms went off," Setsuna answered as she sidestepped an oncoming enemy ninja. "Jiraiya-sensei got a get-out-of-jail-free card from the Hokage because of that."

"What'd he do?" Naruto asked, interested. Blue eyes gleamed in delight as he pictured various scenarios of the Perverted Hermit running from the busty blonde Hokage.

"From what I can tell, he used the Hokage's picture for the cover of his newest book…and he used her picture throughout the whole novel." Setsuna paused to look at the others glancing at her as they continued to fight. "So, who are your friends?"

"The pink-haired girl is my teammate, Sakura. And the guy in the green spandex is Rock Lee," Naruto said as he continued to fight. With another kick to a stray lackey, he took a look at the blue-haired teenager. "But, never mind that. What the hell are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. It's not safe for you."

Setsuna heartily laughed. "Ah, good one. I haven't heard that in a while." She pivoted on her right foot and punched an approaching enemy ninja while she absently lifted her knee to kick another lackey that was about to attack her at her side. Then, without pausing, she lifted her knee and delivered a swift back kick to the enemy ninja about to attack her from behind. She turned back to Naruto who looked on with his mouth open. She arched an eyebrow at the whiskered-blond. "I can take care of myself."

Naruto, Setsuna, Sai, and the others continued to fight the onslaught of enemy lackeys approaching them from all sides. The five fought with such skill and determination and had fallen into a rhythm as the lackeys kept approaching. When Naruto punched the last of their set of lackeys into the unconscious world of dreams, Setsuna noticed there were no longer any enemies around.

"The Akatsuki must be gone," Sakura said.

Setsuna rubbed her forehead as the fight began to take its toll on her body. Soreness and exhaustion settled over her as the desire to find the nearest bed to lie in shifted her mood from neutral to snappish. She shook her head to stir herself from the exhaustion and to restrain herself from making a snappy remark. "Okay, from what I heard, the Akatsuki are after Naruto. And given that they actually infiltrated Konoha and Naruto is still here, maybe there's something else going on."

"Steamed-buns is right," Sai said his face serious.

"Who the hell are you to call me steamed-buns?"

"Who the hell are you to call her that?" The questions were shouted in unison.

"You guys, stop fighting!" Lee shouted as he stood between Naruto and Setsuna and Sai. "It's not youthful!"

Setsuna flashed a perplexed look at her blond friend.

Naruto shrugged in answer. He turned to his comrades and friends. "Setsu's right, guys. We need to find granny-Tsunade or Ero-Sanin."

The five set off in the direction of the Hokage Tower to find the blonde woman. An awkward silence hung above the quintet; neither of the five knew what to say to fill the void. They continued to walk on in silence until a thought popped into Setsuna's mind.

"Um, Naruto? Can I ask you a question?"

"Okay."

"Why are Akatsuki after you?"

Setsuna could see the others' shoulders tense at her question and an even more uncomfortable silence settled over the quintet.

Naruto sighed and smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Setsuna. I can't say."

"That's what Sai said too," the blue-haired girl mused. "Can I come up with any possible suggestions as to why Akatsuki might want to kidnap you? You don't have to confirm or deny any of my theories."

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Setsuna grinned as if her birthday came early. She always loved getting new information, especially if they were about the people she knew. "You have something Akatsuki wants, but the village isn't willing to give you up without a fight," Setsuna guessed. "And whatever it is, you guys can't talk about it. Hm, it must be a very big secret."

Before anyone could say anything to refute her statement, the blue-haired teenager walked away from the others as soon as she saw a familiar shock of shaggy gray hair. When she reached Jiraiya, she found the Toad Sage standing over five black-cloaked ninjas and talking with a man who had two distinctive scars on his face and a blue bandana on his head.

"Jiraiya-sensei," she greeted. She made a gesture to the pile of defeated black-cloaked ninjas. "Members of Akatsuki?"

Dark brown eyes lit up at the sight of the teenager. "Setsuna!" He waved cheerfully. "I didn't think you'd make it." His face turned serious. "How's Naruto?"

Setsuna shrugged. "Same as ever." Her face turned serious. "He took out several of the lackeys. When I met up with him, I didn't notice any of the major dark-cloak villains making a play for him."

"You may be right. I haven't seen any of the retreating Akatsuki members leaving with Naruto and they didn't look disappointed."

The blue-haired teenager gazed at her sensei. "But, they are after something. Right?" Jiraiya nodded. She sighed. "Of course they are."

"Who are you?" the scar-faced man asked. Setsuna looked at him in surprise, having forgotten that he was standing next to her sensei as they talked.

"Jiraiya's apprentice," she answered as pleasantly as she could, despite her grumpy behavior. "The name's Setsuna. And you are?"

"Ibiki Morino," the man answered. He turned to the white-haired male. "You took on another apprentice besides Naruto? I didn't think you would actually train anyone else after Naruto."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Setsuna demanded, getting defensive.

"Now, Setsuna, I'm sure he means nothing by it," Jiraiya placated. He paused. "Just that he doesn't expect me to take on a _ninja_ apprentice."

The teenager deflated. "Oh." She took a moment to process her sensei's words. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what do you mean ninja apprentice?" _Jiraiya-sensei could have another ninja apprentice? _

"Well, what other apprentice could you be?"

"I'm his literary apprentice."

Ibiki gave Jiraiya a puzzled look. "Literary apprentice?"

"Who do you think edits my novels and helps me with my research when I am busy?" Jiraiya shrugged. "She's been very helpful."

"I see." Ibiki glanced at the girl and then turned to the Sannin. "I should get going. I'm sure there would be someone I can interrogate."

"Good luck with that." Setsuna waved. The scarred ninja walked in the direction of the Hokage Tower. She turned to the older male. "So, what does he do?"

"He's a ninja specialized in information gathering." Jiraiya gave his apprentice a significant look. "And how'd you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"How'd you fare during the course of the fight?" he clarified.

"Okay, I guess. I've managed to take out a couple of lackeys." She paused to think. "I had help."

"Are you sure about that?"

Setsuna quizzically looked at her teacher. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Several ninjas asked about you, wondering how you could fight like that. Some speculate that you're from a different village and possibly with some fighting skills."

She snorted. _Well, that part's true._

Jiraiya mischievously grinned at her. "And I know certain people are considering asking you to officially join the village as a Konoha ninja."

Setsuna's eyes widened. "Really?" Delight showed in her voice as her earlier exhaustion appeared to fade away with that single remark.

Jiraiya shrugged. "Well, I still have to ask the Hokage about it and you still have to take some tests and some other things. But, it's doable."

"Oh, okay." She waited a beat before becoming impatient. "So, when are you going to go talk to her?"

"I'll go look for her now." Jiraiya gave Setsuna a pat on the back. "You should go have a look around and familiarize yourself with the village. I still want you to do some research for me."

She nodded in understanding. "Okay. I still have to get Naruto to teach me _sexy no jutsu_."

With that last statement, she walked off, searching for the loud spiky-haired sunny blond. As she walked around the village, her eyes drank in the sights as she noted the shops and other places of interest and committed them to memory.

_Hm. If I were Naruto, where would I be?_ Setsuna wondered. _Oh, duh. He'd either be training or getting ramen. So, training grounds or ramen place, which one is closer?_

She looked around and spotted three teenagers her age, two boys and a girl, sitting in a stand that had the name, Ichiraku Ramen. The lone girl had long, indigo hair. One of the boys wore a long, hooded trench coat that covered him from head to toe. The other boy had an enormous white dog. Shrugging, she made her way to the trio and the ramen stand.

"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!" the girl in a white apron greeted to Setsuna as soon as she took a seat. "What would you like today?"

The blue-haired girl waved her hand apologetically. "I'm sorry. But, I don't have any money on me right now. Maybe some other time." She paused to sniff the aroma of ramen noodles. She drooled at the mouth-watering scent. "Definitely sometime this week. Anyway, I'm looking for a blond sixteen-year-old guy who likes to wear orange and black." She leaned closer to the girl standing behind the ramen stand to loudly whisper conspiratorially. "It's definitely a step up from the bright orange and blue, I'll tell you."

"Oh, you must mean Naruto," the girl said. "I haven't seen Naruto since this morning. But, if I see him, I'll tell him you were looking for him. I'm Ayame, by the way." Without another word, she left the blue-haired girl to tend to a new customer.

"Um, excuse me," the indigo-haired girl said. "But, um, how do you know Naruto?"

Setsuna smiled amiably. "We're friends. I figured he'd be here at least once." She paused to rethink her statement. "Or twice, maybe three times."

"Obviously, you don't know him as well as you think," trench-coat guy said. His dark shades gleamed.

Setsuna shrugged. "Eh. It's a toss-up between that or training. I figured that since he and I got separated after the fight that he would have already talked to the Hokage while I spoke with my sensei. And, usually, after meetings or whatever mission he did with sensei, he'd get some ramen as a pick-me-up." She wrinkled her forehead to think. "Then again, maybe some is an understatement." She shook her head to clear her mind. "Anyway, that's beside the point. I need to see him."

"Can you give us your name?" dog-guy asked.

Setsuna shrugged. "Sure. Why not? The name's Setsuna."

"Hinata Hyuga," the girl replied.

"Shino Aburame." Dark shades gleamed. Setsuna briefly noted how attractive he was, glasses and all, and wondered if Jiraiya would mind if she used him as inspiration for a character in one of the _Make Out_ novels.

"Kiba Inuzuka." The teenager with the dog pointed at his dog. "And this is Akamaru." Akamaru barked in greeting.

"Oh, sweet. Good to meet you."

"So, what do you want Naruto for?" Kiba asked.

"Oh, well, my sensei wants me to do some research once I'm familiar with the village. And, since Naruto is the second person I know who came from this village, I thought I'd ask him to give me a tour."

"Who was the first person?" Hinata asked, curiously.

"Jiraiya-sensei."

"Jiraiya!?"

"Yup," Setsuna chirped in confirmation. "Jiraiya."

"What the hell?" Kiba asked. "Are you even aware of what he writes?"

"She obviously would, Kiba, if she's willing to do research for him." Dark shades turned to the girl in question. "If you know what's good for you, you better not peep on Hinata."

Setsuna blinked at the threat. _So, if you're bothered by me peeping on Hinata, would you mind if I peep on you? _She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. _It is a fair tradeoff. Hm, maybe I should think about that later. _

The trio stared at the girl in shock. At their looks, Setsuna grinned sheepishly as she realized what she had done.

"Did I just say that out loud?" she asked. Before they could answer, Setsuna snapped out of her thoughts.

"Anyway, I best be off. Places to see, people to find, research to do." She stood up. With one last look, she said, "Oh, and by the way, you can sleep easy. While Hinata has a lovely chest and a nice figure, I won't spy on her or write about her. I doubt Jiraiya-sensei is the Lolita type and I'm sure Naruto would kill me and Jiraiya-sensei if I, or he, did. And, frankly, I'm more afraid of Naruto than I am of you. I have yet to see you two in action." She paused. "Although, I'm sure the consequences would be more painful coming from you than if it came from Naruto, considering your relationship to Hinata." She raised an eyebrow. "You three did come from the same cell with Kurenai Yuuhi as your jounin leader, right?"

Without waiting to see their reaction, she continued to walk off in search of the training grounds.

* * *

4

Setsuna spent the better part of her afternoon looking for the training grounds. By the time she found them, the sun was getting ready to set and she was met with one man, or woman, in a white mask. She frowned.

"Um, no offense, but I don't think it's time to go around wearing masks. Halloween isn't for another couple of months." She eyed the masked figure up and down. "So, what are you? No, wait, let me guess. You're some average citizen who likes to moonlight as a caped crusader and right the wrongs of evil doers."

The figure remained indifferent to her words. "What I am is of no concern to you. I am here to relay a message." The person paused. "You are to report to the Hokage's office immediately."

Setsuna nodded, unsure of what to do. "Okay. Good to know." She started sprinting in the opposite direction of the training grounds; her curiosity piqued. The sooner she'd get there, the sooner she would know. "I wonder what that is all about."

When she arrived at the Hokage's office, she made it in record time—Jiraiya and Tsunade were talking in hushed voices. Jiraiya gave her a surprised look.

"Setsuna," Jiraiya said, surprise evident in his tone, "you're here early."

Instead of replying, Setsuna stood next to Jiraiya and shrugged. "I got curious and I got impatient. So, what's this all about?"

"Now, now. Patience is a virtue," Jiraiya chided. He gestured toward Tsunade. "Setsuna, I'd like to introduce you to the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. Tsunade-hime, I'd like to introduce you to Setsuna, my apprentice."

"Nice to meet you," Setsuna said politely. She turned impatiently to her sensei. "So, what's this all about?"

"Setsuna, you were right." If it were at another time, Setsuna would have rejoiced upon hearing those four magical words. However, she saw the serious expression on her sensei's face and knew it was not the right time to rejoice.

"Which part was I right about?" Setsuna asked, dreading to hear the answer.

"The Akatsuki were after something and it wasn't Naruto." Setsuna waited with bated breath. "At least, not this time."

"The archives room was ransacked," Tsunade explained. "We can only assume that Akatsuki took a scroll from the archives. And until every scroll is catalogued and accounted for, we don't know which scroll was taken."

"Well, that answers my next question," Setsuna muttered_. Hopefully, the scroll they stole was a recipe for some noodle soup and not something that would help them get one step closer to world domination_, the girl idly thought. "So, what's going to happen until then?"

"Until then, you will be attending the Academy and when you are ready, you will take the test to become a ninja for this village." The blonde leaned back in her chair. "Unless, you have something else to do while you're staying here."

Setsuna shook her head. "Not really, no. Although, I know that I will have to do some research for Jiraiya-sensei." She turned to her teacher. "Which reminds me, where will we be staying?"

Jiraiya smiled awkwardly, trying to ignore the piercing glare of his former teammate as soon as she heard about Setsuna's "research." "Don't worry about it, I have a place here."

Setsuna flashed the two Sannin a smile. "Okay, then. So, I have research, Academy training, and then taking a test to become a ninja." The teenager paused over her mental list of plans. "Do I get to use sharp, pointy instruments of death?"

Jiraiya waited a moment to think of his answer. "Yeah, most likely. If you get lucky, you get to clean bloodstains."

The young girl beamed. "Oh, sweet. Anyway, I got to go. I need to get Naruto to teach me _sexy no jutsu_." She started for the door. "It was nice to finally meet you, Tsunade-sama."

When she closed the door, the blue-haired teenager heard a large _thwack_ and a thud coming from the office. Setsuna smiled. _That serves him right_, she thought.

* * *

5

The girl made her way out of the Hokage Tower and walked around the village as the sun began to set. She neared the ramen stand and saw a familiar blonde-hair, blue-eyed male with the girl with pink hair and another girl with platinum blonde hair and a purple outfit. She walked over to the trio.

"Naruto!" Setsuna called out in mock anger. "Where the hell were you? I've been looking everywhere."

The teenage boy in question was busy with his fifth bowl of ramen as he heard the familiar angry voice. He looked up from his bowl. "Setsu!" Naruto cried with a mouth full of ramen.

"Naruto." Setsuna took a seat next to the blonde boy. She frowned in disgust at her friend's table manners. "You need to swallow before you talk. People die that way, you know."

"Aw, Setsuna, I didn't know you cared." Naruto set his finished bowl down and wiped his mouth with his long sleeve.

"It's a semi-painful way to die. And I wouldn't wish that on you." Setsuna glanced at the two girls. "So, who's the blonde girl?"

"Her name's Ino," Sakura answered before Naruto could open his mouth.

"And, she is standing right here," the blonde girl, Ino, said in irritation. "Ino Yamanaka."

"Nice to meet you." Setsuna nodded her head in greeting.

"So, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I need you to teach me something."

"Really? What do you need my help with?" he asked, curious.

"I need you to teach me your _sexy no jutsu_."

Naruto looked at her in surprise. "Well, that depends. What do you need it for?"

Setsuna looked at the two girls warily before leaning closer to her friend's ear. "I'm going to the men's hot springs," she whispered.

Naruto's face split into a fox-like grin. He rubbed his chin. "Oh. Why do you want to know?"

"I'm doing research for Jiraiya-sensei and we both know that I can't cross-dress as a guy," she pointed out.

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Too true, too true. Okay, I'll teach you. But, you need to do something for me."

"Well, depending on what it is, I might do it," Setsuna said, remembering the last time she had to do something for the hyperactive blond boy. She shuddered at the memory. It ended with her being stuck on the border of the Sand Village with a house full of cats that smelled like natto beans.

"It's nothing _that_ bad," Naruto hurried to explain, clearly remembering the unpleasant memory. "Ino and Sakura came to tell me that there's going to be a get-together at the park with our _nakama_ since it's been a long time since we got together and nobody's away on a mission right now."

Setsuna wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to invite you so you could meet more people and make some new friends," he continued to say. "I'll cash in that favor later. So, are you going to go?"

"Eh. What do I have to lose?" Setsuna wondered aloud.

* * *

6

By the time it got dark, Setsuna began to reconsider her question. She had found Jiraiya at a furnished house only to discover that the house belonged to him. After being shown to a guest bedroom, she opted to take a nap before she had to meet with Naruto and his friends. Unfortunately, for her, she wasn't able to get more than thirty minutes of pure sleep before Jiraiya loudly woke her to remind her of the party. How he knew about the party was beyond her.

By then, she realized she was late.

_Stupid blond and his outgoing personality. I could be in a comfy bed right now getting more sleep. _The girl seethed as she walked to the park. _I ought to kick his ass!_

Setsuna arrived at the park just as she finished her internal rant. She scanned the area for a familiar loud blonde. The blonde in question was stuffing his face with various amounts of food as the others watched on and talked amongst them. When she spotted him, she approached the blonde teenager with slow and purposeful steps, intending to sneak up on him.

She slapped him upside the head. "Yo, glutton, save some for the rest of us," she said as she stood behind the teenage boy.

"Setsuna!" Naruto greeted with a mouth full of food. "You're late."

She smiled apologetically, the walk and her internal rant having dissipated her irritation toward the blonde male. "Sorry about that. I took a very short nap and my alarm clock didn't go off until later." She scanned the area before her to see a lot of unfamiliar faces. She asked cheerfully, "So, are you going to introduce me to your friends? Or, should I start giving them nicknames?"

Before he could answer her question, a familiar blonde girl spoke up.

"I'm Ino." _Platinum-blonde girl in revealing purple clothes_, Setsuna noted.

"Sakura." _Pink-haired chick with red clothes._

"Hinata." _Long, blue-black hair girl with a nice figure and overprotective teammates._

"Tenten." _Brunette girl with two buns on her head and an awesome outfit._

"Shino." _Cute, dark, and brooding guy with glasses and too many layers. Overprotective Teammate Number One to Hinata._

"Kiba." _Brunette boy with a giant dog. Overprotective Teammate Number Two._ "Akamaru."

"Shikamaru." _Tall, dark, and brunette guy with a ponytail shaped like a pineapple._ Setsuna observed how close he stood to Ino. _Hm, that's interesting._

"Chouji." _Chubby guy with a red outfit. Most likely friends with Shikamaru_, she surmised as she saw them sitting side-by-side.

"Neji." _Pale-face guy with girlishly-long hair who may be related to Hinata, judging by the eyes. I wonder what shampoo he uses to get his hair that way. Does his outfit come in my size?_

"Lee." _Bowl-cut brunette guy with very fast reflexes. Can stand to get his eyebrows plucked. Very youth-obsessed. _

"Sai." Setsuna frowned. _The anemic-looking guy with that plastic smile and the outfit that's a total knock-off from mine._

Setsuna nodded in greeting. "Setsuna. Good to meet you all." She stood silent, trying to find something to say. "So, how goes it?" she asked, awkwardly.

Before anyone could answer, Shizune appeared, looking haggard and anxious. "Oh, good, you guys are all here," she said as she spotted the Rookie Nine and Setsuna. "That means one less trip for me."

"Shizune-san, is there something wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Tsunade wants everyone, except Setsuna, to meet her at her office." She turned to Setsuna, as if to not hurt her feelings. "It's ninja business."

"Okay," Setsuna slowly said, unsure how to react at that last statement. "And what about me?"

"You have to go to the hospital," Shizune said, her voice urgent.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's Jiraiya."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_.


	3. Mist Village: A Wrench in the Plan

Chapter 3

Mist Village: A Wrench in the Plan

_Day 1_

_Somehow, I had always suspected Jiraiya-sensei would come to a very painful and violent end. And, I had always thought that a woman (a naked woman, particularly) would be the end of him. Now, I can't say that I wasn't entirely wrong. But, honestly, I didn't expect it to be this soon! Unfortunately, now that Jiraiya-sensei is out of commission, I have to handle his affairs since he can't anymore. Sometimes, being his apprentice sucks._

Setsuna sat, alone, in an empty booth at the darker end of a local pub. Her back was to the restrooms while her eyes concentrated on the pub's layout and its customers and committed the details to memory.

The teenager frowned. Mist Village, she had gathered, was perpetually foggy and misty and a cesspool of crime. She suppressed a shudder. Something about the village made her feel as if she were in a pit full of sleeping vipers. Silently, she inwardly cursed her contact for requesting a meeting at this place and then she blamed her sensei for indirectly causing this meeting because of what happened two weeks ago.

* * *

2

"It's Jiraiya."

As soon as those two words left Shizune's mouth, Setsuna ran as fast as she could to the hospital. She reached the medical facility in ten minutes and stopped before a nurse at the reception area, Shizune in tow.

"Hi, I'm here to see Jiraiya," Setsuna said, breathless. "The Hokage and her assistant asked me to be here."

The nurse nodded as she looked over the papers. "His room is on the third floor, room 314."

By the time Setsuna reached Jiraiya's room, she came to a halt when she saw the blonde Hokage standing in front of the room. Behind her, she could hear Shizune panting for breath as the brunette woman caught up to her. Setsuna's eyes looked from the door to the Toad Sage's room to the Hokage. The Hokage's face discerned no emotion.

"Tsunade-sama, what happened?" the teenager asked.

The blonde woman's face twisted into a scowl. "See for yourself."

Curious, the teenager opened the door and gasped. Lying on the hospital bed was her sensei, Jiraiya, in a full body cast. Stepping fully into the room, Setsuna walked closer to the bed. She turned her head to glance at Tsunade.

"What's his condition?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"He has two broken arms and he's in a coma." Tsunade paused. "He'll wake up either when he wants to wake up or when I decide to let him wake up. Either way, he'll wake up before his brain starts to deteriorate."

Setsuna nodded. "And, can I guess that he must've done something to get himself into this condition?"

Tsunade's only reply was two angry red cheeks.

The girl nodded, taking the flushed cheeks as an answer. "Okay, I get the coma-induced state. But, why the broken arms?"

"The pervert had the nerve to spy on me in my personal hot springs…again." Tsunade huffed. "I warned him the first time that I would beat him into a coma if he spied on me."

Setsuna looked confused. "But, that still doesn't explain the broken arms."

"The broken arms are so that he won't be able to write anything for a long while."

"Oh. Oh!" Setsuna cried out in understanding. Then, she blanched, realizing the implications of a Jiraiya-sensei with two broken arms and in a Tsunade-induced coma. "This isn't good."

* * *

3

The loud slam of the Sake glass meeting the wooden counter brought Setsuna out of her memories. She looked up and tensed, prepared for an attack. In front of her, there was a man in his thirties of average height, build, and looks. _He could easily disappear in the background_, Setsuna thought.

The man grinned as a bottle of Sake and a small glass was placed before him by a passing waitress. "Have you read Jiraiya's latest book, _Make Out Lessons_?" he asked. "I heard it was quite the page turner."

The girl's ears perked as she heard the question and she let her body relax a little. _The contact._ "Why, thank you," she said calmly. "I'll be sure to pass that on to him. He'll be pleased with the reviews."

"So, where is he?" The contact asked, pouring some alcohol into the empty glass. "I would have thought that he would want to be present for this type of information."

Setsuna nodded. "And he would. However, he's been indisposed." She waved her hand evasively. "One of the drawbacks of conducting research for the benefits of his writing, I suppose."

"And now you have to fill in his sandals," the contact mused. He sat back in his seat. "So, how does it feel?"

"Wooden," Setsuna replied tartly. "And not as comfortable as my other shoes."

"Trust him to choose a feisty one," the man mumbled before he took a shot of the alcoholic beverage. He forcefully placed the glass down. "But, all joking aside, how does it feel?"

Setsuna shrugged. "I can't complain yet. It's still the beginning and I'm taking baby steps. Besides, it could be worse. I could be in a coma."

The man nodded. "Too true."

"Anyway, have you heard anything?" the girl asked, ending the small talk.

"There were two new arrivals to this foggy village a few days ago. They checked into the House of Leaves." At the girl's confused look, the man answered, "One of the more prominent tea houses in the village. They're also known for other, more stimulating entertainment."

Setsuna nodded in understanding; her face took on a grim countenance. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. _This mission is getting worse every minute._ "Description?"

"Their clothes look uniformed. One wore a mask and the other is a blonde." He spoke into his glass. "They're strong and they're psychotic."

The girl nodded. "Of course they are." She sat back, her confidence starting to fade. "Is there anything else?"

The man shook his head as a negative. "No, that's as far as the network went." He casually looked around. "I should get going. There's a fetching young woman I have to meet."

Setsuna waved him off and continued to sit in her seat. She took out a pocky stick from her right pouch and considered her options as she chewed on the stick. _No matter what the choices are, every one of them runs the risk of getting caught or doing something unsavory_, the sixteen-year-old girl thought. Scowling in frustration, she stood up and left. _I should ask Shikamaru for help._

After stopping by at the apothecary to pick up her purchases, Setsuna arrived at local inn she was staying in with her teammates. While looking over her new supplies, she thought over what happened in the past few hours.

_Finding a scroll and retrieving it from two members of a known criminal organization? This mission is difficult. If only Jiraiya-sensei was here, it wouldn't be so difficult._ Setsuna sighed. _I wish he was here._

* * *

4

It was a week after Setsuna discovered Jiraiya's comatose state and the teenager found herself standing in the Hokage's office, summoned by the blonde woman and inquiring after her sensei's condition.

"There has been no change since you last saw Jiraiya," Tsunade reported. "As I said before, he'll wake up when he wants to wake up. At most, it'll take a few weeks."

Setsuna nodded. "Okay. So, if it's not Jiraiya-sensei's condition that you wanted to tell me, then, what is it? Why am I here?"

"You're here because I wanted to give you an update," the buxom blonde answered.

Suddenly, the teenager stood straighter. Her stomach clenched and her shoulders stiffened. _This doesn't sound good._

"I have an update on the stolen scroll. The people from Archives just finished cataloguing," Tsunade began. "Every scroll was accounted for except for one."

The younger girl nodded in understanding. Impatience started to mingle with her curiosity as she tried to refrain from making a snarky remark at Konoha's leader.

"The stolen scroll is classified as top secret and was written by Jiraiya himself."

Setsuna's eyes widened and her stomach sunk. "What does that have to do with me?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"Jiraiya's in a coma," Tsunade bluntly stated. "Because of his condition, he can't be sent to retrieve the scroll from two S-class missing ninja."

"You want me to retrieve it," Setsuna surmised.

"You're the second person closest to Jiraiya. And, you are Jiraiya's apprentice," Tsunade explained. "Besides, I would prefer you going instead of Naruto."

"Oh, I see." Realization dawned on the teenager. "The scroll must be very important to Akatsuki if they went to such lengths to retrieve it. And, since Jiraiya is in no condition to get the scroll back, you have to find the next person who is close to him. You would've given this mission to Naruto since he's a more experienced ninja than I. But, considering the fact that Akatsuki is after him for some reason, you don't want to risk his safety." Setsuna shook her head. "It would be like having a big neon sign that says, 'Take me! Take me, please!'"

Tsunade fought a smile. "You're right. It would be like walking into a trap. But, you do have a choice in going on this mission."

Setsuna shook her head in a negative gesture, knowing that her decision had already been made even before the Hokage told her she had a choice. "Will I be going alone?"

* * *

5

Two voices filled the room, interrupting the blue-haired girl from her musings on the past few weeks. Setsuna looked up from her new supplies to see Ino and Shikamaru, two of the five teammates assigned on the mission. She nodded to the duo in greeting. Then, she gave the duo an assessing look.

"Something wrong?" Setsuna asked, noting Ino's flushed face and heaving chest. A quick glance at Shikamaru told her nothing. _Then again_, she thought, _I don't know him well enough to decipher his body language._

Ino huffed. "It's nothing."

_Doesn't seem like nothing._ Setsuna shrugged at the answer and returned to her new items.

The blonde girl's attention turned to Setsuna and the blue-haired girl's recent purchases. Her irritation at Shikamaru forgotten, she asked, "What did you get while you were out?"

"Just some stuff I think I might need." Setsuna shrugged. "Nothing special."

An awkward silence fell over the trio. The lone male looked between the two females. Realizing that the two girls were unlikely to say anything and that he would have to be the one to get to business, he relaxed on one of the queen-size beds and muttered, "Troublesome."

After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, he asked, "Setsuna, did you find anything new while you were at the pub?"

Setsuna nodded as she began putting her purchases into her weapons pouches and her various pockets. "Yeah, I did. But, it's best telling it to the others all in one place. Better to kill two birds with one stone." She turned her head to the brunette. "Speaking of, where are Hinata and the others?"

"They're getting food and they're meeting us here," replied the blonde.

"Oh." Setsuna looked at the table and noticed her empty box of pocky sticks. She turned to her mission teammates. "I guess it's a bit late to ask them if they can get some pocky sticks, huh?"

Ino frowned. Her forehead wrinkled in disgust. "You go through those like Chouji goes through potato chips. How many pocky sticks did you eat?"

"Not a lot!" There was a pause as she thought about her answer. "Just eleven…boxes."

Ino huffed as she turned away from the blue-haired girl. "It figures." Setsuna could hear the blonde mutter under her breath.

Before Setsuna could retort, there was a loud, rhythmic knock at the door. When Shikamaru opened the door, two males and a female their age walked in. Setsuna's heart skipped a beat as she saw the familiar dark-hooded coat and shades. Before she could analyze the odd feeling, she heard someone asking her a question.

"I'm sorry, what?" the blue-haired girl asked. She looked up from her window view to see Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino looking at her. Her mind raced as her nose scented a tantalizing smell. "I was distracted…by the food."

"I was asking if you wanted any noodles," the indigo-haired Hyuga said, offering Setsuna a container full of noodles and a pair of chopsticks.

Setsuna nodded gratefully and took the proffered items. As everyone settled, they began to eat. Looking up from her container of food, she snuck a glance at the window and noted the hustle and bustle of the crowd. When she turned to the others, she saw them just finishing doing hand seals. She gave Ino a questioning glance.

"It's to check for bugs," was the blonde's answer. The other girl nodded in understanding.

"Now that everything's settled, we should start," Shikamaru began. He turned his gaze to Setsuna. "What did you learn?"

The girl sat up straighter as soon as he looked at her. Her shoulders tensed. Her expression became serious. "Two new arrivals showed up a few days ago and checked into The House of Leaves, a very…_popular_ place of interest. One wore a mask while the other was a blonde. Both are males wearing distinctive uniforms. And, according to my source, they're pretty damn strong."

"I see." There was a moment of silence. "Do you know what the House of Leaves serves?"

"Tea, mostly," Setsuna answered. "I staked out the place after I got the information. From what I can tell, their clientele are very rich and they are usually entertained by very beautiful women…in more ways than one."

"We haven't even been here for a whole day. Where did you get that intelligence?" Kiba asked, curious. Setsuna barely missed the slight widening of his eyes and the incredulity in his voice.

Setsuna shrugged. "I have my methods."

Realizing that they weren't going to get an answer out of the prospective ninja, Shikamaru interrupted the silent war and said, "Okay, that's great. We need to get to the matter at hand." He paused. "Ino is going undercover while we go through the place and find the scroll. Is there any—"

"Wait a minute," Setsuna interrupted. "Why can't Hinata and I go undercover too?"

"Are you crazy?" Kiba growled.

"Some people think I am. Me? Not so much." She raised an eyebrow at the growling male. "But, what does my sanity have to do with my suggestion?"

"No, you can't have Hinata go undercover," Shino calmly said, ignoring the former's question.

"And why is that?" Setsuna demanded.

"We need her to use her blood-line limit to find the scroll." Dark glasses gleamed. "Besides, she's never done anything undercover."

"Don't I get a say?" Hinata squeaked out.

"Yes, you do," Setsuna answered the pale-eyed girl. She turned to Shino. Her cheeks were flushed as the tips of her ears turned hot. She balled her hands into fists, trying to rein in her temper. "Well, she's going to have this type of missions sooner or later, right? And let's not forget, men like innocent girls. Besides, it's for the good of the team. We need all the help we can get."

"I can do it, Shino. I'm perfectly capable of doing it. And, as Setsuna pointed out, I will have to go on these types of missions in the future. I might as well do it now." She turned determined eyes to the calm ninja. "Please, Shino?"

He sighed. "Fine, but under one condition." He paused. "She's your responsibility and she won't be doing anything that would put her in more danger than she can handle."

"If you're concerned about Hinata having to put herself at risk of being raped, don't worry about it. She won't have to be a hostess." Setsuna gave the Aburame a leveled stare. "In fact, she's more suited to being in the background. Does that qualify under your conditions?"

"Yes."

"Great!" Setsuna smiled. She turned beaming eyes to Shikamaru. "Do I get to be undercover too?"

The latter sighed. "Troublesome," he muttered. "Fine. Ino, Setsuna, and Hinata will go undercover tomorrow."

* * *

6

It was a quiet evening in the House of Leaves as Setsuna, with practiced ease, served tea and snacks to a finely-garbed hostess and her client. When she finished, she continued serving tea to the other hostesses and scanning the tearoom for anything unusual. The hostesses didn't pay her any attention—she was only a waitress, and not an attractive one at that. The girl smiled.

_Ah, it's great to be back undercover. I get to play with hair dyes_, she thought as she spotted a thoroughly disguised Hinata returning from the upper floors that served as spare rooms.

No longer a pale-eyed porcelain skinned girl with indigo hair, Hinata had her hair dyed in a mousy brown color and had worn non-prescription contact lens with a dull brown color. Her now-altered form and her quiet demeanor allowed her to fade easily in the background as the occupants in the tea house ignore her as if she were a piece of furniture.

As the two disguised girls' gazes met, Setsuna gave an imperceptible nod and the two continued walking: Hinata, to the direction of the kitchens, and Setsuna, to the direction of a messy and deserted table. Setsuna inwardly groaned as she cleaned up.

_I forgot the drawbacks to being undercover._ Setsuna glanced down at her uniform. _Did I really have to be a waitress?_

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Ino sitting with a client. The former blonde appeared at ease as she conversed with her client. Her face was caked with white make-up, her now dark hair styled in an elegant up-do held by two decorative hair-combs, and her body clothed in a richly colored silk kimono. She was the picture of womanly beauty.

When she looked up at the table she was cleaning, Setsuna had to hold back a laugh as she saw the rich client falling over himself as Ino smiled flirtatiously at him as they said goodbye. She turned back to the table and prepared the tea and snacks for the next hostess and guest. By the time she turned to start preparing another table, she was interrupted by a female body blocking her path.

"Suna?" Two familiarly disguised forms gave Setsuna a look.

"Yes, _Hana_?" she asked, emphasizing the Yamanaka's alias.

"I will be entertaining my guest for a while and you will be tending to us," she said as she gestured for Setsuna to follow them. "And, will you find Hina? She knows what kind of room I like to entertain my guests in."

Setsuna nodded and left. After arriving, minutes later, with the disguised Hyuga in tow, the four walked upstairs to the upper floor, where the rooms used for private entertaining were. Hinata led the way as Setsuna covertly scanned the area for any potential interlopers. As soon as they reached a private room and closed the door, Setsuna rushed to close the curtains. With a nod to Hinata, the Hyuga made several hand signs that Setsuna recognized to be a privacy-enabled jutsu. Feeling safe for now, everyone dropped their disguises.

"Eh, this is troublesome," Shikamaru said as he took off his formal kimono and short wig.

"At least you get to wear a wig," Setsuna mumbled. "I had to dye my hair."

"Setsuna, we all agreed that blue hair would stand out in a village full of missing ninjas. Do you really want to get easily killed?" Ino asked as she sat down on a luxuriously decorated bed.

"No," she grudgingly said. "But, it wouldn't be the first time."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Setsuna turned to Hinata. "So, Hina, have you heard anything about the duo we're after?"

Hinata shook her head as a negative. "I overheard some maids talking about these two attractive-looking guests that showed up recently. They wanted to know when these men would be looking in their direction."

At that comment, Setsuna coughed something that sounded, suspiciously, like "whores." Ino and Shikamaru looked at the former blue-haired girl in surprise while Hinata politely excused her.

"Anyway," Setsuna said, trying to draw attention away from herself, "the arrivals of these two 'attractive-looking guests' appear to coincide with my source's information of the two men with black robes and red clouds. We should go searching room-to-room."

"Why can't you check the teahouse's guest list?" Shikamaru asked, his logic rearing its ugly head to the fore of her plans.

"Well, one, it wouldn't be as fun if we took the easy way out. And, two, for all we know, they could be using aliases like we did." The former blue-haired girl shrugged. "It's a sad possibility, but true. And, besides, I checked the teahouse's logbook. There wasn't a guest that refused maid-slash-cleaning service. Which means, this gives us a good cover."

"I see," Shikamaru said. He exhaled a weary sigh. "Fine. Do what you have to do."

Setsuna and Hinata nodded as the duo donned on their disguises again. Two sets of the same hand signs later, there was an exact duplicate of the original duo. With a nod to the clones, Hinata and Setsuna took off their disguises and disguised themselves as different maids.

"Hina, do you have a master key or a skeleton key to open every room in the place?" Setsuna asked as they tiptoed down the hall and stopped before a darkly painted wooden door, cleaning supplies and fresh sheets in their hands. Hinata nodded and took the key out of the sleeves of her kimono and unlocked the door.

* * *

7

Several hours and several rooms later, Hinata and Setsuna reached the last room on the right. After seeing many dirty linens and no results, Setsuna was ready to pull her hair.

"If we don't find anything in this room, I am going to scream…and possibly kill someone," Setsuna muttered as Hinata unlocked the door after using her bloodline limit to check for any traps.

"Me too," Hinata agreed. They walked into the room. "Except for the killing part. I don't think my father would be happy if I did. Unless it's in self-defense."

"Most fathers are like that," Setsuna observed as she systematically searched one part of the sitting room.

"Was your father like that?" Hinata asked, inspecting the other part of the sitting room.

Setsuna walked to the thin, paper-like doors. "I wouldn't know. I never knew my parents" She turned to look at her companion. "I think the bedroom's through here."

She opened the doors, only to see a figure nearing the open window. Judging by the figure's form underneath the black skintight bodysuit, Setsuna knew the thief was a male. The thief's foot was on the windowsill, preparing to make a quick getaway. And, he had the object she had been looking for since her arrival in the Mist Village. Their eyes met for a brief second before he fled through the window, scroll in hand. Cerulean eyes widened.

"Oh, crap."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_. But, I do own the plot and Setsuna.

Thanks for reviewing.

Chichi Cherry: Thanks for the review. As for Setsuna, her background is a bit complicated and it will be revealed throughout the course of the story. And, there will be several hints and other things that will reveal more of her history; so, you should look out for that.

As for her and Jiraiya, that will also be revealed in due time. (Frankly, it would be simpler if I revealed it earlier. But, what would be the fun in that?)

And, with regards to the romance, there is going to be a romance. But, since it's mostly an adventure story, the romance will be scattered. Can you guess which character she is going to be paired up with?


	4. Mist Village: To Catch a Thief

Chapter 4

Mist Village: To Catch a Thief

_Day 2_

_Okay, a lot happened since Jiraiya-sensei was, and still is, in a Tsunade-induced coma. Right now, here are the facts._

_One, I am, currently, in Mist Village on a mission that Jiraiya-sensei is (indirectly) responsible for. _

_Two, I am undercover in a teahouse as a waitress. _

_Three, I am in deep shit. _

_Now, how the hell did I get into this mess? It's a long story. _

_Since Jiraiya-sensei had the nerve to peek on Tsunade-sama (again, according to the Hokage), the blonde decided to beat the crap out of him and, for good measure, break his hands so that he wouldn't write anything Make Out related with regards to their encounter. After hearing about his condition, I found out that he named me as his next of kin. And, since then, I've been acting as a temporary manager for all of his affairs that aren't ninja-related. This "next of kin" status is what led me to Mist Village. _

_Kind of. Sort of. Eh, maybe. _

_Anyway, several days ago, Tsunade-sama summoned me to her office to give me an update about the whole attempted Akatsuki invasion. (If it really was an invasion.) Basically, my worst fear was confirmed. An important looking scroll was stolen by Akatsuki and it was one written by Jiraiya-sensei. Unfortunately, since he wasn't fit to go on a mission, the Hokage gave me the mission to Mist Village since it was their last known whereabouts. On the bright side, it's not a solo mission. On the down side, Mist Village is a village full of murderous-looking missing ninja and I feel safer in a pit full of poisonous snakes. And, to top it off, the Akatsuki members in question aren't, according to Tsunade-sama's and my sources, the more high profile members. _

_So, now, I am in Mist Village with my teammates at the House of Leaves, a high profile teahouse with questionable sources of entertainment. My teammates are Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Ino, Hinata, and I are undercover. Shikamaru is too, for that matter. Kiba and Shino are still staying at the inn and searching around the village in case the Akatsuki members are not at the teahouse. _

_Surprisingly, the girls and I managed to find work at the teahouse a lot faster than I imagined. And while Ino and Shikamaru acted as decoys, Hinata and I searched the rooms to find the Akatsuki members' room. Unfortunately, there were too many rooms and their room had to be the last one we searched. And, instead of finding the object we want, there was a thief escaping with the object that we want and that rightfully belongs to Konoha. _

_After the thief-in-question escaped and aside from that feeling that I was in deep shit, there was something about the thief that made him feel familiar to me. Have I met him somewhere before? Honestly, I don't know. If only there is a black market in this village, then I would be able to get more information about the damn thief. Then again, this village is a known festering pit of evil. Maybe there is a black market. _

Minutes after the thief's escape, Setsuna still stared in shock. Soft footsteps entered the room, though the teenager barely recognized them. Suddenly, when she felt a tap on her shoulder, the formerly blue-haired girl whirled around, tantō at the intruder's throat.

"Um…relax. I—It's me," the disguised Hyuga nervously said.

Setsuna breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew the weapon. "Sorry, Hina," Setsuna apologized. "But, we just got screwed over."

"Um, we're about to get screwed more if we don't get out of here." Hinata pointed in the direction of the outer room. "I see them coming."

Setsuna could hear the footsteps stepping loudly in the hallway. Without any hesitation, she grabbed the Hyuga heiress by the arm and hauled her to the window. Hinata needed no further prompting and jumped out of the window. Setsuna followed after her, only pausing to close the window. She looked down and noticed her teammate wasn't there.

The girl frowned. _Where the hell could Hinata be?_

The door to the sitting room rattled open. Above her, Setsuna heard a loud hiss and looked up. Hinata stood on the roof, gesturing to her. Relieved and slightly panicked, Setsuna pooled chakra onto her feet and ran up to the roof as quietly as she could. As soon as she reached her teammate, the girl backed away from the ledge and lied down, flattening her body against the roof. Hinata followed suit. Beneath them, they heard loud voices coming from the room they recently vacated.

"I'm telling you, there was someone here," a male, gravelly voice said.

"And I'm telling you, you're out of your damn mind. The only people who could've been here are the maids. And, the maids are less likely to actually take something since they're practically brainless—especially the mouse-haired brunette maid-slash-waitress with the rack that looks like they've been stuffed with steamed buns."

Setsuna fumed and was tempted to storm in and kill the criminal for the comment. But, instead, she refrained and focused on the matter at hand. She heard footsteps walking across the bedroom. She peeked out of the ledge, making sure to be barely visible to the missing ninja. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the girls spied a dark head looking down and side to side. The duo kept still and concentrated on masking their chakra signatures.

"Damn it!" the man swore. "There's nothing out here."

"I told you so, you paranoid moron." The dark head moved back into the room.

Relieved at not having been caught, the girls inched away from the ledge and let out quiet sighs of relief. When they were sure that the S-ranked missing ninja were too distracted to hear anything on the roof, the duo swiftly walked back to the room where Shikamaru and Ino occupied.

"Brainless!?" Setsuna muttered under her breath as the three looked on quizzically. "Oh, yeah, I'm so brainless that I managed to fall so easily into the heavily concealed traps that you hid for us. At least I didn't leave a valuable scroll behind before I left to go screwing around with a bunch of easy maids. Damn bastards." She looked down at her chest and added as an afterthought, "And I do not stuff my chest!"

* * *

2

It was at three o'clock in the morning when the undercover team returned to the local inn. The quartet opened the door to their room to find Shino and Kiba staring at them impatiently. Well, at least, Kiba was. Shino, from what Setsuna could tell, was just staring at them.

"Well?" Kiba asked. It sounded more like a demand than a question. Setsuna noted the stiffened spine and the tense shoulders. She inwardly groaned.

_This is going to be a nightmare_, she thought as she closed the door.

"Hina's fine," Setsuna bluntly answered his nonverbal question. "But, we're screwed."

"What happened?" Shino asked.

"Yeah, Setsuna. You didn't really give us any details about what happened," Ino commented.

"I figured I might as well tell you guys all at once. It keeps me from repeating myself and, therefore, keeps me sane." She shrugged. "Either way, the Akatsuki no longer has the damn scroll."

"This is a pain in the ass," Shikamaru muttered. Sharp, dark brown eyes turned to Setsuna. "How did that happen?"

"By the time we got to their room, the scroll was in the process of being stolen…by a professional thief."

"A professional thief?" Hinata turned pale eyes to Setsuna. "How can you tell?"

"Easy." The formerly blue-haired girl shrugged. "The way he moved, the way he looked, and the fact that he didn't leave a mess when he entered and left the room. It was like he was never there…except for the part where I saw him slip off with the freaking scroll in his hand."

"When did you see him?" Ino asked.

"Just before he left."

Shino turned to look at his female teammate. "Hinata, did you see him, too?"

The quiet girl shook her head in a negative. "No, I was in the other room. By the time I got there, the thief was already gone."

"This is getting more troublesome." Setsuna glanced at the now undisguised Shikamaru, his hair styled in his classic ponytail. The girl couldn't help but inwardly agree.

"Well, this has just gotten more complicated." The girl snorted. "Typical. Guess we have to find more information on the thief."

"But, how?" Kiba asked. "We don't know anything about the thief."

"You guys don't," Setsuna pointed out.

"And you're saying that you do?" Shikamaru asked questionably.

"Maybe," Setsuna answered cryptically. "There's something familiar about the thief. But, actually, the more obvious reason is to find someone who does."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Shino asked.

Setsuna waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it. Besides, we should get some sleep. If I know anything, it might take the whole morning to find it before we find any information on our thief."

Before the others could say anymore, Setsuna had turned her back on her teammates and headed for the bathroom, missing the five's shared looks of puzzlement. As soon as the bathroom door closed, the quintet had the same thought.

_What on earth does Setsuna mean by finding "it"?

* * *

_

3

The sun barely reached its zenith when Setsuna and the others gathered in the girls' room. The others, with the exception of Shino and Hinata, looked at the recently brunette girl in various degrees of irritation.

"Is there a point for you to wake us up at an ungodly hour in the morning?" Ino asked, trying to stifle a yawn. "Besides, who died and made you the leader of this mission?"

"Nobody's died. Well, not yet anyway," Setsuna answered tartly. "Besides, we're supposed to be looking for information on the thief, right?" The others nodded, albeit hesitantly. She ignored their reluctance and started pacing the room. "Well, then, the only sensible thing to do is to find some people who do…know about the thief, that is."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Ino shrilly asked. "Go door to door and ask if they notice any of their things missing? If you've forgotten, but we're also supposed to keep a low profile."

Setsuna gritted her teeth to refrain from hitting the blonde woman. Instead, she turned to the blonde, crossed her arms, and stared levelly at her. Ino shifted uncomfortably. "No, we're not going door to door," Setsuna answered as soon as she knew she won the standoff. "But, I know of a place that usually has information about our little thief."

"Well, that's good," Hinata pointed out. "What is this place?"

"A black market network."

"How would you know?" Shikamaru asked, skeptical of the teenager. "To my knowledge, and from what Tsunade-sama knows, you've never been to Mist Village."

"No, I haven't," Setsuna agreed. "But, every village has a black market network. To say that they don't means you're either very gullible or you're on something."

"What is the black market network?" Hinata asked. There was a curious tone in her question.

"It's an underground economy. Some of the things sold are underpriced, others are overpriced. But, one thing's for sure, there are no taxes, no receipts, and no paper trails."

Wide, innocent eyes bore onto Setsuna's. "What do they sell?"

For a second, Setsuna briefly hesitated as to whether she should tell the Hyuga. Then, she shook her head. Eventually, the young teenager would have to learn about the more, shadier sides of human nature. She might as well learn it from someone who wouldn't treat her like a porcelain doll and wouldn't try to dress it up.

"They sell a lot of things," Setsuna carefully began. "They sell normal products that are sold in the legal tax economy, but they're sold at a low price. Then, there are illegal drugs, illegal weapons, stolen goods, prostitution, and mercenaries for hire. For all intents and purposes, it's a giant pit of the worse things known to any human."

"If it's so bad, then why are we going there?" Hinata questioned, sounding slightly unsure.

"Well, honestly, I'd prefer if all of you not go with me to the black market," Setsuna stated bluntly.

"Really? And why is that?" Ino asked. From the tone of the blonde's voice, Setsuna could tell she was offended.

"I didn't think your parents would approve of you going there and I'm definitely sure that the Hokage would be very angry if her ninjas were abducted." Setsuna shrugged. "For some reason, the pathetic losers who created human trafficking rings aren't above abduction to increase their supply of people…especially young girls."

"And what makes you so sure that the same thing won't happen to you?" Shikamaru asked. His dark brown eyes locked with her disguised cerulean ones, staring in a calculating way. If she were a lesser woman, she would have fidgeted under the intense stare.

Instead, Setsuna scoffed. "They'd die before they could even try."

The air was tense as the others looked at each other, most of them sporting various looks of puzzlement. Before the obviously puzzled ninjas could ask, Shikamaru intervened. "Then it's a good thing that Tsunade-sama chose me as the leader of this mission. Despite your confidence in not getting abducted while going to the black market alone, we're a team and we never leave our teammates behind."

"Even if it's for the good of the mission?" A slim, feminine eyebrow arched in question.

"Even then."

Her eyes narrowed and her face took on a look of cynicism. "Somehow, I doubt that." The tense moment passed and she backed off and gave a dismissive wave. "But, if you want to come along, fine. It's your prerogative." Then, she muttered under her breath, "It's not like you're going to actually enter the black market when we still haven't found the damn entrance."

"What was that?" Kiba demanded.

"You heard me. We haven't found the entrance. And, to find the entrance, we have to search through the entire village…or, at least the downtown business districts and whatnot. And, it's better if we go in teams of two in case anything happens." Setsuna turned to the bedside drawer nearby one of the beds and took out several vials and two decorative senbon needles that could pass off as hair sticks from the top drawer.

"What are those?" Hinata asked.

Setsuna shrugged. "A backup plan," she answered as she dipped the senbon needles into one of the vials. When she styled her hair to a casual bun with the senbon needles-turned-hair-sticks holding the hairstyle in place and placed her remaining vials in her various hiding places, she turned to her teammates and noticed their slightly off-kilter look. "What?"

"Do you always clean the tips of your needles before putting them in your hair?" Shino asked.

"It relaxes me." She wiped her hands together. "Now, are we ready?"

* * *

4

"Are you sure you know where to look?" Ino asked Setsuna again for the third time they had been walking around their part of the village. It had been three hours since the group was separated into teams of two. And it was taking all of Setsuna's willpower to refrain from strangling the whiny blonde.

Each pair had their own section of the village to search. Shino and Hinata had the east side, Shikamaru and Kiba took the south, and Ino and Setsuna had the west. Then, at noon, the groups were to meet at the pub nearby the inn they were staying in and report their findings. However, with Ino's constant questions and subtle digs at Setsuna's competency, Setsuna was starting to reconsider going to the meeting place at the designated time.

"Yes, I know where to look," Setsuna all but growled. "If I had it my way, we'd be checking out the red light district. But, your boyfriend disagreed and started to pull rank when it looked like I wasn't going to back down."

"Shikamaru is not my boyfriend!" Ino practically shrieked.

The recently-turned brunette shrugged. "Looked that way to me." Then, she paused. "Unfortunately, I do have to agree with him. The red light district is no place for a girl to go by herself."

"Well, I'm glad you admit that you can't do everything by yourself."

Setsuna frowned. "Who said anything about that? I was referring to you." She gave the blonde a sly look. "There aren't a lot of guys who would be unwilling to let a female teammate go some place that runs the risk of her getting abducted…especially if he knows that she can take care of herself."

"And what makes you think that he wasn't referring to you?" Ino asked stiffly, refusing to believe the other girl.

"Because I don't know him long enough or even well enough." Setsuna scanned the area. "There's nothing here. Let's go."

"Wait." Ino stopped Setsuna before she could leave. "What makes you so sure?"

"The people around here don't look like they just got back from shopping at the not-so-legitimate stores. And, the only thing surrounding us is vendors. Lots and lots of vendors. Besides, even if they did return from the black market, they don't look as suspicious as the more obvious people," Setsuna explained as they walked back to the inn.

"And what are the more obvious people?"

"You'll see," the aspiring ninja answered cryptically.

"You know, from your explanation, one would think that you've been to the black market before," Ino observed as the duo started walking back.

"One would think that," Setsuna said, giving no further details.

"So, have you?" Ino pressed, wanting to know more about her.

Before Setsuna could say anything, they arrived at the inn's front desk and were met with two familiar males.

"Did you find anything?" Shikamaru asked.

Setsuna shook her head. "No, we didn't. Did you?"

"No," Shikamaru answered.

"Damn it," Setsuna muttered under her breath. She turned away and focused her gaze at the inn's door. "So, when are the others coming? I'm starving and I don't see why we have to wait for them so we could all go get lunch."

As Shikamaru answered her question and Ino and Shikamaru got into a discussion in hushed voices, Setsuna tuned out the noises and watched the people coming into the inn.

_Interesting_, she thought. "Huh? What?" The girl practically jumped out of her skin as soon as she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"We're here." Kiba looked at the startled girl and struggled not to laugh. "What got you so startled?"

Setsuna scowled at the surprise in his tone. _What? I'm not allowed to let my guard down every now and then? Unbelievable._ "Nothing that I can talk about right here," she answered easily. "So, where're we going for lunch?"

Without answering, the others turned and walked out, leaving Setsuna with no choice but to follow. When they reached the pub she had entered the day before, her question was already answered. After taking a seat in a booth at the far end of the pub, everyone, with the exception of Hinata, stared intently at Setsuna.

"Care to tell us what that was all about?" Shikamaru asked in a low voice.

Setsuna stared at the quintet and gave them a wry look. She scoffed. "Huh. That was fast. The waitress hasn't even arrived yet and you start the inquisition." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Well, that blows my plans out of the water."

"What plans?" Shino demanded. The harsh glint of his sunglasses gave Setsuna pause to answer.

"What other plans do I have?" Setsuna retorted.

"You found the entrance, didn't you?" Ino whispered.

Setsuna shrugged. "I may have a suspicion."

"And you want to go by yourself," Shikamaru concluded. "Why? And don't say it's for our protection. Somehow, I doubt that's the case."

"My reasons are my own and I don't know you long enough to actually tell you." The disguised blue-haired teenager paused. "Hell, I don't even tell Jiraiya-sensei a lot about my reasons."

There was a tense silence. A waitress came to take their orders and left, once again leaving the booth full of awkward silence.

"We're still going with you," Shikamaru stated as if it were a fact.

"Fine," Setsuna replied tersely. "It's not like you'll be exposed to anything new, then, if you feel so strongly about it."

"So, um," Hinata began, trying to keep the peace, "where's the entrance?"

* * *

5

"That's it?" Ino asked incredulously as they walked back to the inn. At Setsuna's insistence, she and the group had followed a man at a discreet distance only to be led back to the inn.

"Yeah, that's it." Setsuna gave the blonde Yamanaka an assessing look as a thought occurred to her. "You've never been to anything like this before, have you?"

"And you have?" the blonde retorted. They turned a corner and were stopped by a bare wall with a lone bookcase standing formidably in front of the group of six. They were at the end of one of the inn's many hallways and, interestingly enough, this hallway was bereft of any rooms.

Setsuna didn't reply as she searched the wall in front of her. Shino and Kiba were acting as lookouts while Shikamaru stood off to the side to plan the next strategy. Hinata and Ino stood, watching the disguised blue-haired girl study the wall that, according to her, led the way to the black market network.

The apprentice to Konoha's self-proclaimed super-pervert sighed as she pressed her ear to the wall and started knocking, noting the sounds. As she neared the bookcase, she paused when something on the wooden floor caught her eye. She growled.

"Damn it! I should have known," she half muttered and half growled.

"Known what?" Ino demanded as Setsuna stood in front of the bookcase and examined the books. "Uh, Setsuna, I don't think now's a good time to get reading material."

The girl in question gave Ino an annoyed look but didn't answer. She tried pulling the bookcase away from the wall and grunted when it didn't budge. "Of course it wouldn't open easily," she muttered. She backed off and went back to standing in front of the bookcase to look at the books. She moved to take the books off the shelf and then put them back.

It was while Setsuna was half-way finished half-moving the books off the shelf that Ino spoke again. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for the secret passageway," Setsuna answered. She increased her pace. "It should be here, somewhere."

Suddenly, as she pulled the last book out, the book only partially moved out and the girl heard a faint _click_. She stepped out of the way as the bookshelf moved, revealing a dark tunnel-like structure and a flight of spiraling stairs.

"There!" Setsuna turned to the others and grinned. "Knew it would take a while. So, what's the plan?"

"We're going into two groups and separating as soon as we get to the market. As soon as we get there, each group is going to search a different part of the market for any information on the thief or, if possible, they'll be searching for the thief," Shikamaru explained. "Shino and Kiba want to go with Hinata."

Setsuna nodded, not surprised. "It's just as well. Human traffickers won't hesitate to take vulnerable-looking people and they're more suited to protecting her." Then, without waiting, she walked down the stairs. It wasn't until she was at the ninth step that she heard other footsteps following her. After a silent walk as they descended down the stairs, they reached the end of the passageway and the two groups went their separate ways.

"Do you have any idea where to start looking?" Ino asked Setsuna as they walked down the crowded street.

Setsuna vaguely heard Shikamaru mutter his favorite word under his breath as she surreptitiously noted the shops and the people around her. The shops on the street the trio was standing had a few weapons and weapon repair shops. There was an apothecary near the corner of the street and there was a very popular and very dark shop sitting across the apothecary.

Without answering, she turned the corner of where the dark shop was—and noticed the red lantern hanging on the door. Her eyes narrowed as she just realized who the passersby were. Although there were some passersby looking to get their weapons fixed or to refurbish their supplies of medicines and other medical paraphernalia, the rest of the passersby, mainly the males, were hoping to get their other tools fixed at the shop. Her shoulders tensed as she clenched her fists.

Ino and Shikamaru noticed the miniscule action and exchanged a look. After a silent, non-verbal conversation, Ino spoke. "Is there something?"

Setsuna let out a breath as she heard the worry behind the question. "It's nothing…much. It's just that I'll need to request a mission to kill the person responsible for this crime syndicate."

Once again, an uncomfortable silence settled over the trio as Ino and Shikamaru could find no reply to Setsuna's statement. The three continued walking down the street until the pineapple-haired boy noticed something after they passed another business with a red lantern hanging on the door.

"Setsuna, what are we doing in the red light district?" His tone was serious, yet his face looked bored.

The girl in question raised an eyebrow at the question. "What made you think so?" At the Nara's bored look, she hurriedly answer, "Okay, fine! Yeah, it is and it isn't. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to go alone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ino asked, confused.

"It is a red light district, of sorts," Setsuna tried to answer carefully. "However, this district offers more than what your standard red light district does. This district supplies the red light district."

"Human trafficking?" Shikamaru murmured.

"Got it in one, pineapple head." Setsuna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Not only that, but if the red light district is too vanilla, then the black market's very own district offers more than what one person could bear."

"Then why are we here?" Ino demanded.

"It's because we're looking for a pawn shop," Setsuna answered, exasperated, as she met the blonde's cerulean gaze. When she looked away, something caught her eye. "Ah, there it is!"

Before she could be interrogated, Setsuna's pace quickened, leaving the duo to catch up to her. Ignoring the ring of the shop's bell above the door, she stopped before the register and patiently waited. By the time the pair caught up, Setsuna was busy examining a short sword just as a man of average height and build walked up to the formerly blue-haired girl.

"May I help you, Miss?" the man asked.

Setsuna frowned at the man, his stiff and condescending tone grating on her nerves. "Yes, actually, you may." She slowly turned to the man. "I need information."

When she did not elaborate further, the man got impatient. "About?" he prompted.

Instead of answering, Setsuna turned her attention back to the short sword and sheathed it. "Hm. Did you know that this sword was reported stolen?" she asked, the tone of her voice sounding innocent. "By a very ruthless crime lord from a renowned syndicate in Rain Village at that, too. After the theft, he put a hit out on the thief. They never did catch him. But, they did manage to kill any potential fences that would sell the sword for the thief."

Gone was the condescending attitude and, instead, shock overtook the man. "How—How did you—I mean, what are you talking about?"

Setsuna rolled her eyes. "I think you know what I'm talking about," she answered quietly. "The thief, who happens to work mostly in Rain Village, tends to steal from the _filthy_ rich. And, apparently, he enjoys taking the items that are practically out of reach for the mere challenge of the game. He's here, isn't he?"

One look from the girl made the man gulp. "Um—" he began.

"And don't bother to lie," she abruptly interrupted. "I won't hesitate to kill you if you do."

The man sighed, defeated. "He never told me his name," he said under his breath. Setsuna had to strain her ears to hear him. "He came into the shop a few weeks ago and dropped the sword off for a hefty sum of money. He said that he has more stolen items that are worth selling in his room and that he'll come back later within the month…after he finishes his big job."

"Did he say where he's staying?" Setsuna asked.

The man shook his head. She sighed, exasperated. "Of course he wouldn't."

"But, he did say that the job might take a while and that he'll be staying for a month or two," the man added.

"Well, thanks anyway." She turned to the silent pair. "Let's go."

No sooner did they walk out of the shop when the trio was attacked by a hail of sharp, pointy instruments of death. The three managed to take cover under a stand full of banned books. But, that didn't stop the unknown assailant to throw a kunai in Ino's direction, aiming for her face. Setsuna barely made it in time to catch the weapon in midair. The blonde looked on in shock.

_A few more inches and I could've been dead_, Ino thought as she watched Setsuna put the weapon away.

"Damn it, I'm getting slow," the other girl muttered as she looked around for the assailant. She looked up and noticed a lone figure clothed in black, standing on the roof of a building across from them and giving her a mocking salute. Her eyes narrowed. "Shikamaru, take care of Ino and get back to the inn," she ordered.

"What are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked. He didn't like the sense of urgency in Setsuna's command.

"I've got a thief to catch." Then, without another word, she ran to the building. And, without stopping, she scaled the building with her chakra-enhanced feet. As soon as she reached the top, the roof was empty, but she saw a black figure running away from her two roofs over. She grinned, excited at the challenge. _You're not going to get rid of me that easily._

The chase continued well after there were no more roofs to jump over. Irritation swam over Setsuna as the thief continued to run. Setsuna grunted in annoyance.

_Oh, forget this!_ She took a flying leap and pounced on the thief.

"Oof!" they both grunted.

The thief moved to push her off. Setsuna, in turn, tried to swipe at his head to take off the mask covering his face. The tussle continued until the thief finally pushed her off. The two stood up, facing each other like two warriors in a fight to the death. Just as Setsuna was prepared to make the first attack, the thief bolted.

"Hey!" She dived and knocked the feet from underneath him, causing him to hit the ground front-side down.

"Ow!" The thief groaned. Then, without wasting a second, she turned him over, straddled his waist, and removed his mask. Disguised cerulean eyes widened.

"You!"

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_. Please read and review! Constructive criticism welcome.


	5. Mist Village: To Outsmart a Thief

Chapter 5

Mist Village: To Outsmart a Thief

_Day 5_

_ Of all the crappy luck! The thief isn't some common pickpocket nor is he some random purse-snatcher. Instead, he had to be a professional. And he had to be the best at what he does. That's it, we're all screwed. _

_Ugh. How the hell are we going to steal the scroll back from that kind of thief? We can't! That's what! But does anyone listen to me? No! They just sit around and look at the freaking team leader as if he knows everything. Ha! I doubt Shikamaru knows jack squat about thieves. Instead, he had to say that we have to steal the scroll back or else the mission will be a failure and the Hokage doesn't like failed missions too much…and then he later said that it would be a pain in the ass if she yelled at us for failing the mission._

_This sucks. The thief is smart—otherwise, he wouldn't have lasted as a thief for a long time. So, obviously, he's going to be on to any attempts at stealing the scroll from him. And that means it's going to be almost impossible to get the scroll back. Of course, nobody said it was going to be easy. Damn it! Why can't I be given an easy mission, a mission that involves killing a high profile douche bag? You find the target, you knock on their door, and then you stab him. Easy! It's a lot simpler than stealing a scroll from a professional thief who stole that same scroll from two S-ranked missing ninja who stole the very same one from Konoha, right?_

_I mean, seriously, there are a handful of botched assassinations that did not have as big of a mess-up as this retrieval mission. And, this is not counting that one assassination that involved a drug lord with the alcoholic and drug problem and the room full of scantily-clad women who belonged to the drug lord's friend, the owner of the local prostitution ring in Rain Village. But, I digress. _

_Anyway, while the search for a solution to our thief problem is still in progress, I do have to admit that my relationship with the team has improved a bit. Since the flying kunai incident, Ino has been acting a lot better towards me. Lately, she hasn't made any remarks that are a veiled insult to my competence or my knowledge. And, for the most part, she's too busy talking to Shikamaru and Hinata. Although, when she's talking to Hinata, she doesn't blush or act uncertain as much as she does when she's around Shikamaru. And, on some occasions, I've seen her looking at Shikamaru when she thinks no one is watching. Seriously, the way she looks at him, it's like she wants to take a flying leap at him and start reenacting page seventy-two of _Make Out Paradise_. And, for some reason, Shikamaru doesn't even notice. Seriously, despite what I've heard from other people, that guy is a complete moron when it comes to girls._

_Speaking of the pineapple-haired guy, he's been acting the same—more or less—since the whole incident. He still talks when he wants to, he's a bit laconic, and (according to Ino) he's too busy planning a strategy. So, I think he's still the same…judging by Ino's standards. (Since I don't know him well enough, I can't really read his mannerisms very well.) _

_However, I have a feeling that Kiba and Shino don't trust me. Actually, scratch that, I know that they don't trust me. Every time I try to talk to Hinata, dog-boy or four-eyes always pop up. I wonder, do they think that I would snatch her up and make her do unspeakable things like wear makeup and go dance on top of a bar while inebriated? _

_I don't know which is worse—the professional thief or two overprotective pseudo-brothers. Frankly, I'd take the professional thief over the brother figures any day. _

A row of six small vials stood in front of her as Setsuna sat at the table and studied each one closely. Each vial had its own power and, if not handled correctly, it could mean the end to the person. And, frankly, the girl couldn't let that happen. They were her solution to the matter at hand.

"Okay," Setsuna murmured to herself. "Best case scenario, the thief doesn't set any traps on the scroll in the event that we successfully steal the item…and the thief is clueless as to what we are doing and has no idea that I am not working alone. Although, the likelihood that he isn't on to me wanting to steal the scroll is slim compared to him thinking that I have accomplices. Worst case scenario, he's on to any strategy that we plan and he has ways to counteract any of Shikamaru's strategies. If that's the case, then there's the last resort. And _they_ won't like it."

It had been two days since Setsuna discovered the thief's identity. It had been one day since the disastrous meeting with the thief and the subsequent attempts at getting the scroll back. Now, she and her teammates are at their wits' end and something needs to be done about the thief. Unable to think of anything, Setsuna looked up from her vials and sighed. She stared off into space, remembering what happened two days ago.

* * *

2

"You!"

Setsuna's eyes widened just as she recognized the thief. Then, before she realized what was happening, she felt herself get flung to the side as the thief pushed her off. Once again, they scrambled to stand, each poised in a fighting stance, prepared to fight the other if necessary. It reminded Setsuna of the time when she first saw a particularly venomous viper.

"Viper." Setsuna nodded to the thief. She noted a slight change in his otherwise neutral expression.

"Coral." The thief, now known as Viper, acknowledged.

The two continued to stand, waiting for the other to make a move. Viper turned and fled. Setsuna sighed, disappointed, before she started to chase after him.

When she turned a corner, she stopped. "What the hell?"

Around her, a heavy fog-like mist started to form. From the distance, Setsuna could barely see five human shapes that were blocking her access to Viper. The shapes started to walk towards her, revealing men sporting dark grins on their faces. _They must be his minions_, Setsuna thought. She noticed the lecherous looks in their eyes. _His pathetically perverted minions._ She took out her tantō and one of the senbon needles in her hair as she got into a fighting stance.

"Well," she said, tuning her voice as to not show any fear. "This looks like this won't be a complete waste after all."

* * *

3

Soft, shuffling footsteps coming from outside the room shoved Setsuna from her thoughts of Viper. Quickly, she put the vials away as she heard the footsteps coming closer. By the time she stood up, with her shoulders tense, the door swung open. As she saw the thoroughly disguised Ino, Shikamaru, and Hinata, Setsuna instantly relaxed.

"How did it go?" Setsuna asked, without any preamble.

"How do you think?" Ino retorted. She removed her disguise and slumped into a chair right next to Setsuna, much to the others' surprise. It was rare for the blonde to be anything but graceful.

"That bad?" Setsuna looked to Hinata for confirmation. The Hyuga nodded.

"We didn't even hear of the thief's whereabouts," Shikamaru commented. "And, according to Ino, there weren't any reports of a thief wandering about the teahouse."

"Of course there isn't," Setsuna mumbled to herself.

Intense brown eyes stared at the disguised blue-haired girl. "Have Kiba and Shino reported back yet?" The Nara asked.

Setsuna shook her head. "I haven't seen them since they left early this morning." She glanced at the two girls nearby. "Maybe we should take this somewhere else?"

Shikamaru followed the girl's line of vision and nodded. The two went to the small sitting room. As soon as they were seated, Setsuna turned to the pineapple-haired ninja and folded her arms over her chest.

"Okay, so now what's the plan?" Setsuna asked.

Shikamaru grunted. For some reason, she could tell that Ino's sort-of-but-not-really boyfriend was thinking that the whole situation involving the thief was a pain in the ass.

_Huh_, she thought, _maybe I'm spending way too much time with them._

"Do you have any contacts within this village?" Shikamaru asked, interrupting Setsuna from her thoughts.

"That depends," she answered evasively. "Why do you want to know?"

"We may have to use the last resort."

"In that case, I do have some contacts that are independent of Jiraiya-sensei's information network." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "But, I doubt you or any of the others would want to meet them."

Dark brown eyes stared at her; she almost shivered, feeling as if she was being scrutinized under a large microscope. "You want to go alone," he said, at last.

Setsuna nodded. "I think it's better if I do."

"Would you like to tell me why?" Distrust showed in the Nara's tone.

She shook her head. "All in good time," she answered cryptically. "You wouldn't want to learn everything about me so early on, right? 'Cause that would spoil the fun."

"Fine." The distrust still remained in that single statement. "But, if something happens that jeopardizes this mission and is directly related to what you're hiding, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"I'd think less of you if you didn't." She smirked. "And who says I'm hiding?"

His only answer was a dark look.

Setsuna stood up. "I'll get ready, then." She moved to go to the bedroom.

"For what?"

She paused in her step. "Well, no offense, but I figured you guys wouldn't get any new information on the thief at the teahouse. So, I took the liberty of arranging a meet with one of my sources at the local watering hole."

"And what makes you think that?"

She scoffed. "Well, the thief got what he came for. Why would he stick around in a teahouse?"

"If what you say is true, then why would he remain in the village?"

"Because, he's in no rush to give the scroll to his client. And, he's the type who likes to stay and taunt us for getting the scroll from two S-ranked criminals before we could." She slightly tilted her head to think. "And, more importantly, I'm sure he has other jobs lined up."

"How are you so sure?"

"I'm not. That's why I'm meeting up with my other contact to give me confirmation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready."

Without waiting for his reply, Setsuna left. Upon finding the room empty, she grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom.

_This isn't going to be easy_, she thought as she put on dark pants and a form-fitting dark shirt. She looked into the bathroom mirror, only to be reminded of what happened with the thief.

* * *

4

The fog continued to thicken, leaving the men fully blanketed in the white expanse. Setsuna scanned the area around her, trying to calm her breathing as she did so. There was nothing but a wide expanse of white. She waited; tense, as she tightly gripped her weapons while she listened intently through the thick mist.

_Damn it! There are only two reasonable explanations that can explain this misty phenomenon. _A kunai whizzed a few inches away from her face, giving her barely five seconds to move back before she had to dodge the ninja stars that were coming at her from the back. _Damn, that was cutting it close. Okay, it's official. One, they're all Mist ninja. And two, they are using a very nifty jutsu that can camouflage them. Very nifty_, she added as the fog continued to get thicker.

Hating the fact that she didn't know who she was fighting and the amount of men against her, Setsuna continued to look at her surroundings only to barely make out the silhouette of the trees' canopies above her. The leaves above her rustled as several sharp-looking weapons flew towards her like a hail of rain. Tired from her earlier chase, she barely managed to dodge most of the flying weapons.

"I really need to improve my speed," Setsuna panted as she noted the medium-sized cuts on her arms.

Just as she thought it was over, another hail of weapons descended upon her. Once again, she attempted to evasively dodge the flying objects. As she tried to lose the last flying weapon, a flying star grazed her shoulder, leaving a painful cut. "Damn it!" she muttered.

Behind her, she heard a twig snap. Pivoting on her left foot, she prepared herself for the oncoming attack. The attack came swiftly, just as she expected. She sprung into action, blocking most of the kicks and punches and evading the sharp ends of their kunai. They kept her on the defensive for a while until she saw an opening and took it.

With a powerful front kick, the attacker in front of her flew several feet away from her. With a pivot on her left foot, the assailant behind her had his throat slit as she stabbed the one standing next to him in the stomach. Just as she finished, another one charged at her, screaming, with his short sword at the ready. Caught off guard, she barely stabbed him with her decorative senbon needle.

Hearing another snap of a branch, she spun, prepared to deliver a killing blow to the attacker. Stopping her attack, the Mist ninja grabbed her wrist and squeezed. Reflexively, she dropped her weapon, leaving her vulnerable. Before she could move to get out of the way, deep pain gathered around her abdomen as she doubled over in pain. Suddenly, pain met her lower back and she fell to her knees from the force of the assault. Before her body could meet the ground, the ninja kicked her abdomen again, leaving her on the ground, beaten and exhausted.

Grunting in pain, Setsuna tiredly got up, making sure to grab her fallen tantō. She scanned the area, seeing more ninjas circling her like a pack of vultures. She did her hair up in a messy bun, using her senbon needle as a hair stick. "Ah, I see." She winced as her actions sent a new wave of pain through her body. "The first and second waves of raining kunai and other sharp things were just distractions to exhaust me and keep me occupied. By the time your little ninja ran out of weapons, you were counting on the fact that I would be disoriented enough so that you could easily take me down. How pathetic." She scoffed. "Now, why didn't I think of that earlier? It would've saved me the trouble." She dropped into a fighting stance, having regained her second wind. "I'm going to have to remember that for later." The killing intent in her eyes gleamed as she took out another weapon.

Before she could attack the band of Mist ninjas, a black blur raced past her. She could barely see the speedy figure but as she looked at the fallen bloodied bodies, she knew that the blur was responsible for incapacitating and killing the ninjas. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she saw the last ninja fall at the swoop of gleaming steel. The blur materialized as it stood over the last ninja's dead corpse and she instantly recognized the form as Viper. Intense onyx eyes met blue ones.

Setsuna fumed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shrieked.

"Saving the damsel in distress," Viper answered blithely.

"Damsel in distress," she growled. She marched up to the thief. "Who said anything about me being a damsel? And who said I was in distress?"

"You were cornered, they punched and kicked you multiple times, and you have several cuts on your arms and legs," he stated.

"Your point is?" Setsuna rhetorically asked. "I was about to attack them before you showed up like some demented knight in shining armor. Well, news flash, I don't need one."

There was a tense silence before Setsuna gestured to the field of dead and unconscious Mist ninjas as she remembered something. "So, I take it that they're not friends of yours?" she asked.

"Hn. I could say the same for you," Viper retorted. "And no, they're not."

"Then why the hell would they be after me?" Setsuna whispered to herself.

"So, what should we do with their bodies?" Viper asked, interrupting her from her thoughts.

Setsuna shrugged. "Might as well bury them," she answered, referring to the dead bodies.

"And what about the ones who are incapacitated?"

"We kill them. They're as good as dead anyway…we might as well be merciful and make their deaths quick and painless." Setsuna turned; her short sword at the ready.

Viper stared at the girl's back appraisingly.

"What?" Setsuna demanded, feeling the thief's eyes on her.

"For a second there, I almost thought your time away from the Village had made you soft." At the comment, the disguised teenager rolled her eyes as she started to work.

It wasn't until an hour had passed that the duo completed in disposing the bodies. Exhausted and sweaty from burying the bodies, Setsuna and Viper sat in a booth at the local watering hole. Evening had settled over the seedy pub as the patrons started to trickle in. Setsuna looked up from her cup only to see Viper staring out into space.

"So," Setsuna awkwardly began, "how's Rain Village?"

"Rainy, as always," the thief brusquely replied. "It's been that way since before you were born, it's been that way since you left, and it'll always be that way."

"Good to know that some things don't change." She inched closer to the table. "So, why are you here?"

"Why are you?" Viper shot back.

Setsuna glowered. "I asked you first."

Viper rolled his eyes. "I'm here on a job, obviously. A wealthy client in Rain wanted me to procure a valuable item that was en route to a certain place before it reached its final destination. Apparently, the client has big plans that involve the item in question." An eyebrow arched. "And you?"

"I'm here to work off a debt. I may have broken something valuable and I let one of our guest's possessions get stolen," Setsuna mumbled into her cup. After taking a sip of the dry soda, she looked back at Viper. "You do realize that your item in question is a scroll that belongs to two dangerous-looking men, right?"

"And your point?" Viper asked.

"They're not going to be too happy when they discover their precious possession was taken," the teenager pointed out. "Frankly, we both know that they're from that very exclusive organization full of S-class missing ninjas. And when they find out about you taking the scroll, they're going to come after you with everything in their arsenal. I think you should give it to me so that I can return it without anyone being the wiser."

Viper looked deep in thought as he processed what the girl had said. "That does sound scary." He slammed his Sake cup down and sat back. "But, no."

"May I ask why?"

"Easy. While the thought of having two S-class missing ninjas chasing after me sounds terrifying, the wealthy client who hired me has a lot of friends—friends in high places, as a matter of fact. And honestly, she scares me more than they do." He stood up. "So, thanks, but no thanks. I'll take my chances."

Without a by-your-leave, Viper left. Setsuna blankly stared ahead, dumbfounded.

"Huh. Who knew there was honor among thieves?" she asked aloud. _If someone had that much power to scare a professional thief, then who is this person?_ She wondered. _And what's so important about the scroll that would make someone from Rain Village hire a thief to get it?_

_

* * *

  
_

5

Setsuna finished putting the last finishing touches on her outfit. Standing in front of the mirror and finding nothing out of place, she left the bathroom only to find Kiba and Shino waiting for her near the table.

"Hey, guys," she said, setting her clothes on top of her bag. "How was the recon?"

"Terrible," Kiba answered. "There were too many scents around the village. And, even if I had Akamaru, we couldn't track the thief through his scent since we never met him to begin with."

Setsuna nodded in understanding. "Oh, right," she said as she just remembered something about the enormous white dog. "Akamaru's still recovering from that chocolate incident."

Before the Inuzuka could reply to that, Shikamaru entered the room. After having a quick talk with the two members of Team Kurenai, the pineapple-haired teenager gestured at the girl to follow him. "So, you're leaving," the Nara stated after glancing at the girl's outfit.

Setsuna nodded. "Yes. I already sent a message to arrange a meet with my contact while you, Ino, and Hinata were out."

Shikamaru nodded. "Fine. Kiba and Shino will act as back-up in case anything should go wrong."

"Is that right?" She crossed her arms. "Because, for some reason, I think you want them with me to confirm everything I report to you."

"Have you given me any reason to trust you?" Shikamaru asked. "Besides, being a ninja requires working as a team with other ninjas. Without teamwork, missions fail. I'm pretty sure they taught you that at your village's ninja academy."

"Actually, I never went to a ninja academy," she stated dismissively. She turned away from him and headed to the door. "I never got a chance to go, really. Anything ninja-like was taught to me or I picked it up from Jiraiya-sensei. That's actually one of the reasons why Jiraiya-sensei wanted me to be an official ninja for Konoha. And by the way, on my missions, there's not a lot of room for teamwork." And then, without a glance, she left.

Setsuna slipped into the pub and took a seat in a booth at a dark corner. After ordering Sake, she noted the layout of the place and its customers. Despite the mid-afternoon sun, the pub's crowd was moderate with only less than twenty customers. Most of them, she guessed, would be ninjas who had returned from a mission and just wanted a drink before reporting to the village's leader. The minority, she knew, were either drunk or alcoholics.

She started to tense when she heard footsteps approaching. "You know," a gruff male voice slurred, "it's sad to see a woman drinking alone."

"And it's sad to see a grown man hitting on a woman who wants to be alone," she retorted. She looked up and saw a dirty-looking male towering over her. "Especially since he's smelly, dirty, and drunk."

"Watch what you say, girl! I'm a chūnin. I can take you on!" The drunken man banged his fist violently on top of the wooden table to prove his point.

"Uh-huh," Setsuna said, unimpressed as she absently noted her back-up entering the pub. A dark look flashed in her eyes. "And I can kill you in twenty different painful ways if you don't leave me alone. Now leave."

Turning her attention back to staring at the cup, she listened to the man's departing footsteps. Her staring contest was short-lived, however, when she heard someone sitting in front of her. Sitting before her was a relatively pretty female with dark hair and an intense shade of green eyes.

"Long time, no see, Nezumi," Setsuna stated.

"Yes, it's been a while," Nezumi acknowledged. "I believe it was about three or four years since we last talked."

"Yes, it has. Last I checked you were based at the pub that was on the mainland." The disguised girl leaned closer. "So, what happened?"

Nezumi shrugged. "And last I checked you didn't care much about where I was located, just as long as I'm accessible and I had what you were looking for." She tilted her head in a considering manner. "You were looking for information then. So, what are you looking for now?"

"Information, of course. But, not about what happened four years ago," she quickly added. "I'm looking for information on any thefts in the area."

"Thefts?" Nezumi wrinkled her brow. "Since when did you get so interested in thefts?"

"Viper's in town," Setsuna answered, as if that explained everything. From the widening of Nezumi's eyes, it probably did.

"No, really?"

Setsuna nodded. "I saw him myself. He stole something from me and I want it back."

"Hm. That explains the recent events going on around here," Nezumi murmured as she lifted a Sake glass to her lips.

"Events? What events?"

Nezumi surreptitiously scanned the pub for any eavesdroppers. Finding none, she leaned closer to the table. "There've been rumors of recent thefts involving several prominent crime lords. What's more is that the crime lords didn't even know they were being robbed until it was too late and their prized possessions get stolen. They've taken to calling him The Ghost."

Setsuna nodded to show her understanding. "I see. And how long ago did these thefts start?"

The contact shrugged. "Right around a week ago, give or take a few days."

_About the same time those two Akatsuki members came to Mist_, Setsuna thought. "I see. Did you hear anything else?"

Nezumi shook her head. "Nothing of great importance. Just that Lord Yomi, the top drug lord, has increased security at his home. Word among the fences is that The Ghost is planning a heist tonight to get his newest drug shipment."

"Really?" Setsuna asked, interested. "But, what would Viper want with drugs? That doesn't sound like his style."

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. But, you can never tell with thieves. They're almost as bad as assassins."

"Uh-huh." Setsuna gave the other girl a look. After putting some money on the table to pay for the drinks, she stood up. "Anyway, thanks for everything." She moved to leave.

"Wait." Setsuna stopped and turned her head to glance at Nezumi only to find that the latter hadn't moved her position in her seat. "The information that I gave you four years ago, did it help you?"

"Yes and no," Setsuna answered truthfully. "I gave up that mission after I met someone. But, I passed it along to Aya."

"I see. And how is she?"

The disguised blue-haired teenager shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've lost contact with her after I gave her the information." She paused. "She didn't respect my decision to not continue the mission."

"Ah. Will I be seeing you again?"

Setsuna nodded. "Most likely, yes. You're still my favorite go-to gal for information." She started to walk away. "Besides, just because I gave up that mission does not mean that I might have other jobs lined up."

"It's nice to know I'm still needed."

That was the last thing Setsuna heard as she left.

* * *

6

Dusk had fallen and Setsuna had found herself cleverly concealed in a very tall tree that overlooked a grand compound. She had also found herself very bored.

"Damn stakeouts," she muttered as she sat on a very thick branch, thankful that she had the foresight to mask her chakra earlier. "I should've let Shino tag along. At least he could've bugged the place and I wouldn't have to be _that_ alert."

After her meeting with Nezumi, the disguised teenager had little time to get back to the inn and report her findings to the lazy team leader. During their debriefing, Setsuna had suggested infiltrating the drug lord's house. However, Shikamaru reminded her that they didn't have enough time since the heist was taking place that night. Inwardly, Setsuna cursed at the Nara for suggesting that she tail Viper when he escaped with the stolen goods.

_And why didn't he bring back-up?_ Setsuna asked herself. Suddenly, she remembered what she said to the pineapple haired chūnin. _Oh yeah, that's right. I told him that I didn't need one and that Viper would get suspicious. _

The girl was interrupted from her thoughts as she barely heard the leaves rustle as she saw a black blur come from the trees. Setsuna narrowed her eyes as she followed the blur's movements as it slipped pass the guards and into the compound through an empty room. A few seconds later, she spied the thief slipping out and taking to the trees. Feeling his chakra signature, she followed at a safe distance. As soon as they were out of the forest, Viper took to the rooftops while Setsuna slipped into a nearby crowd, still trailing him from a safe distance. Just as she caught up to him, a familiar building caught her eye.

_The House of Leaves?!_ She pushed herself away from the dark alley wall and slipped into the teahouse just as another group of customers entered. Through her peripheral vision, she spied the thief talking with the host. Through the noise, she could barely hear the conversation. Casually, she wandered closer to the duo, trying to hear any snatches of conversation. After hearing the information she needed and spying the host handing the keys to the thief, she slipped out of the building without anyone being the wiser.

Ten minutes later, dressed in her maid uniform, Setsuna crept down the deserted hallway, searching for Viper's room. Recalling the conversation she heard earlier, she knew she only had a window of a few minutes before he realized something was wrong. She had to act quickly.

Through the door, she barely heard the sound of the shower running. Quietly, she turned the master key in the doorknob and carefully looked inside the room. Spying no thief, she crept inside the room. Looking around at what she assumed was the formal sitting room she started rifling through the little items that were on the small table, taking care not to disturb the tea pot and the tea things.

"If I were a scroll," she muttered under her breath, "where would I be? Maybe I should've taken up stealing when I was younger. I probably would've had more success than I am now."

"And you would probably be right." Setsuna whirled around to see Viper leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed and dressed in a yukata; his hair was wet from the shower. He hoisted himself up and walked into the sitting room, his voice mocking, "Why, Coral, with all this rummaging around, were you trying to steal from me?"

Without deigning to answer him, Setsuna charged at him. Before she could tackle him and render him unconscious, Viper kicked her in the solar plexus, sending her across the room.

"Well, that was pathetic," he commented as she crashed into a potted plant. "I've seen you fight Mist ninja—you were more graceful then. Why would you charge head-first like some common thug?"

Setsuna grunted in pain as she sat up. Slowly, she stood and dusted her kimono as if there were dust on them. "Well, it was either that or having to seduce you before I knock you unconscious." She shook her head. "And…yeah, no. I never had to seduce a target and I'm not about to start now…even if you are attractive."

She gave him a perusing stare from head to toe. Pale skin, dark eyes, and shoulder-length coal-black hair set in a thin, oval face. His jaw was narrow and angular, his nose was small and slightly narrow, his cheekbones were high, and his eyes were slightly wide. _If he could disguise himself as a girl_, Setsuna evaluated, _he probably would succeed with those feminine features._

Viper gasped in pain. "Oh, I'm hurt," he said in mock pain.

"It's nothing personal," Setsuna said as she walked closer to him. "It's just that I don't want to lose my virginity at this time."

Without hesitating, she drew her trusty tantō to stab the thief. Viper caught her wrist and disarmed her. Before he could make another move, Setsuna grabbed him by the neck and kneed him in the lower abdomen. In an instant, she brought his head down and kneed him and then she punched him in the jaw, twice. Just as she was about to deliver another punch, he caught her arm and grabbed her shoulders. Bringing his head down, he hit the bridge of her nose. Not stopping in his momentum, he punched her in the face, left, right, and then left again. He brought her head down and kneed her stomach before lifting his right leg up and kicking her into the television.

Crashing into the television, Setsuna delivered a kick to the solar plexus, leaving Viper to stagger back a few feet. Taking advantage of the small window of opportunity, she got up and tackled him to the ground. Straddling his upper body, she took out her hair stick and only managed to leave a small cut on his cheek before he tossed her off him as easily as batting a fly. He walked over to her and hoisted her up, her feet hanging a couple of inches above the ground.

"Did you really think you could steal from me and _succeed_?" Viper asked before he threw her into a bookshelf. "Your time away from Rain must have really made you weak. Look at you. You don't even have the strength to stand. You're just lying down…like a woman, a very weak woman." He walked over to her.

Grunting in pain and taking large gulps of air, Setsuna struggled to sit up. Before she managed the feat, Viper stood over her prone form and put his right foot on her chest, shoving her back on the ground. "No, stay down." He looked down at her scornfully. "You know, you'll never make it as a thief. You're a failure," he said as he stomped on her left arm. Setsuna cried out in pain.

"You're weak." His heel dug into her left hand.

"You better hope that there is some knight in shining armor coming to save you because this damsel in distress won't be able to get out of her own mess." He scoffed. "Hn. Some independent woman. You can't even steal a simple scroll from me. Pathetic."

Just as he moved to step on her chest again, an angry shriek erupted from Setsuna as she grabbed Viper's left foot and pulled it out from underneath him. His body met the floor and she moved to get on top of him. With her senbon needle disguised as a hair stick in her right hand, she angrily gave him numerous small cuts in the chest with her accessory on his chest. Before she could stab him in the face as punishment for his taunts, he pushed her off. She landed on her feet and stood, waiting for the next attack.

Refraining from wincing at the sight, Viper inspected his injuries. Feeling something trickle down his left cheek, he wiped away the fluid only to find blood on his fingers. "Well, that hurt," he said, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. "You know, you're not a very good thief and you haven't even made me vulnerable enough to steal the item you wanted. You know I'm the best at what I do. You might as well give up now."

Setsuna glanced at her fallen weapon and considered her options. With a sigh, she put her hair stick back into her bun and she bent to retrieve her weapon while carefully eyeing the male at her periphery. _He's getting arrogant_, she thought. _He _is_ arrogant._ "I guess you're right," she said, tucking the tantō into her obi. "What was I thinking when I hatched this hare-brained scheme to steal from the master thief?"

Viper smirked. "It's okay, Coral. It happens to the best of us."

"Well, I do feel bad for injuring you," Setsuna said, scratching the back of her head. "As a sign of good sportsmanship, how about I serve you some tea?"

Viper gave her a skeptical look. "Will you drink with me?"

"Of course!" She paused. "Oh, I see how it is. You want to make sure that I don't poison you." She gave him an odd look. "Did you really think I would poison your tea?"

"No," he quickly answered.

"Okay, then. Because I wouldn't do that if I didn't have the time." She positioned herself at one side of the table and took out the tea cups. Gesturing for him to sit on the opposite side, she served the tea, placing the filled tea cup in front of Viper as he sat himself opposite her. He was about to take a sip only to have his cup fall, spilling its contents, as he dropped to the floor, curled into a ball.

"What—what did you—?" he asked in labored breathing as searing hot pain coursed through him.

"Oh, would you look at that?" Setsuna asked. She stood up, towering over the prone form lying on the floor. "I might not be a good thief. Hell, I may not be a master thief, but I'm very good at what I do. Arguably, the best. Besides, I never said that I wouldn't poison my accessories."

She walked into the bedroom and started searching through the closet. Glancing at the open door and listening to the man's pained groans, she said, "Personally, I would've preferred using this particularly powerful snake venom that I had recently acquired when I arrived. You see, this snake venom contained a hemotoxin that would've left you bleeding internally and externally. I would've loved to see that. But, the bitch of it was, was that it would've taken at least an hour for the victim to actually feel its effects. And, I couldn't have that. I needed you to be distracted enough so that you couldn't stop me."

"What…did…you…use?" he asked, sounding more in pain.

Setsuna rummaged around his pack. "This other snake venom that I also acquired while I was here," she answered, feeling that he had a right to know. "Black mamba, I believe. Its effects are quite painful. Aha! Got it." She grabbed the scroll and tucked it into her uniform sleeve. Reaching into her obi, she took out an exact replica of the scroll and placed it into the travel pack. She walked into the sitting room.

Viper lied supine on the floor, his eyes stared up at Setsuna, and his face was sweaty. "How?" he asked.

"I never said that I wouldn't put poison in my accessories," she repeated. "My decorative senbon needles are very good to use as hair sticks. They're stylish and yet very practical weapons. It's really handy to have a jutsu that could perpetually keep the poison or venom from being evaporated. The black mamba's venom can be pretty fast acting, so I've heard." She gave Viper a cold look.

Shifting from being informational and light in her information-sharing, Setsuna's demeanor turned serious, almost grave. "You have at least fifteen minutes before you die. Before that, you may have convulsions, cardiac arrest, and respiratory arrest before you slip into a coma and die. I just thought you should know."

Without another word, she left him lying on the floor.

* * *

7

Setsuna arrived back at the inn just as the night life in Mist Village was getting rowdy. Upon entering the room, she spotted her teammates sitting in various spots and waiting anxiously. When they saw her, she could see their shoulders relax. She nodded in greeting to them.

"Guys, get ready to leave."

Walking to Shikamaru, she reached into her uniform sleeve and handed the scroll to him. The two exchanged a look.

"What did you do to the thief?" the Nara asked.

"What I had to," she answered enigmatically.

Later that night, with their packed travel packs, the team checked out of the inn and left the populated part of Mist Village.

* * *

8

A few days later, the group was greeted to the sight of Konoha's gates looming over the horizon. Dirty and exhausted, the group of six nodded to Izumo and Kotetsu as they walked by. Without bothering to stop and rest, they walked to the Hokage Tower and trudged up the stairs.

They entered the Hokage's office to find Tsunade sitting behind the desk and doing paperwork, for a change. Being the team leader, Shikamaru placed the mission scroll on the desk. At a glance, the buxom blonde sat up straighter.

"Report," she ordered.

Shikamaru sighed before he began. "We arrived in Mist Village undetected. Setsuna met with her contact and we infiltrated the place where the two Akatsuki members were staying. A third party stole the scroll before we could retrieve it."

"Uh-huh," Tsunade said as she read over the mission report. "This doesn't look like your writing, Shikamaru."

"It isn't." Shikamaru and Setsuna shared a look.

"Then whose is it?"

"Mine," Setsuna answered. She noticed the others' questioning looks. "What? I keep a journal for all of my travels. Because of my memory, I can write everything without missing a detail. Besides, I thought it would be good practice to always write a duplicate." In a lower voice, she muttered, "And Shikamaru may have threatened me to do it."

Giving an odd look at the girl, Tsunade looked back at the scroll. "It says you knew the thief…or at least recognized him."

"Only by reputation," Setsuna replied.

"And you stole the scroll back," Tsunade clarified.

The formerly blue-haired teenager nodded. "Yup. I replaced the scroll with an exact replica of the scroll. The only difference is that the replica had a recipe for ramen."

"Why would you leave the thief with a replica of the scroll?" the blonde Hokage asked, curious.

Setsuna shrugged. "It was just in case he survived."

"What did you give him?" Ino asked.

"Nothing much, just some snake venom," Setsuna answered, sounding as if she were talking about how much salt to put in pot of boiling soup. "Assuming that he does survive, the scroll is a contingency plan so that his client would kill him for getting the wrong scroll."

"Okay and what are his chances of survival?" Tsunade asked.

Setsuna smirked. "He doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell."

"Which venom did you use?" Tsunade asked, gaining a new interest in her former teammate's "apprentice."

"You'll read it in the report," Setsuna answered, giving a dismissive wave.

"Okay," Tsunade said, not satisfied with the answer. "So, if you retrieved the scroll, where is it?"

Shikamaru reached into his pack and placed it before the Hokage. As the Hokage removed the seal from the scroll, the other occupants in the room leaned closer to see its contents. As the older woman unfurled it, Setsuna's eyes widened.

"Oh, crap."

* * *

Author's Corner:

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_.

Sorry for the long wait. Hope it was worth it. Enjoy! All reviews are welcome. Please read and review.


	6. A Day in the Life

_Previously:_

_Just as he moved to step on her chest again, an angry shriek erupted from Setsuna as she grabbed Viper's left foot and pulled it out from underneath him. His body met the floor and she moved to get on top of him. With her senbon needle disguised as a hair stick in her right hand, she angrily gave him numerous small cuts in the chest with her accessory on his chest. Before she could stab him in the face as punishment for his taunts, he pushed her off. She landed on her feet and stood, waiting for the next attack. _

_Refraining from wincing at the sight, Viper inspected his injuries. Feeling something trickle down his left cheek, he wiped away the fluid only to find blood on his fingers. "Well, that hurt," he said, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. "You know, you're not a very good thief and you haven't even made me vulnerable enough to steal the item you wanted. You know I'm the best at what I do. You might as well give up now."_

"_I guess you're right," she said, tucking the tantō into her obi. "What was I thinking when I hatched this hare-brained scheme to steal from the master thief?"_

_Viper smirked. "It's okay, Coral. It happens to the best of us."_

"_Well, I do feel bad for injuring you," Setsuna said, scratching the back of her head. "As a sign of good sportsmanship, how about I serve you some tea?"_

_Viper gave her a skeptical look. "Will you drink with me?"_

"_Of course!" She paused. "Oh, I see how it is. You want to make sure that I don't poison you." She gave him an odd look. "Did you really think I would poison your tea?" _

"_No," he quickly answered. _

"_Okay, then. Because I wouldn't do that if I didn't have the time." She positioned herself at one side of the table and took out the tea cups. Gesturing for him to sit on the opposite side, she served the tea, placing the filled tea cup in front of Viper as he sat himself opposite her. He was about to take a sip only to have his cup fall, spilling its contents, as he dropped to the floor, curled into a ball. _

"_What—what did you—?" he asked in labored breathing as searing hot pain coursed through him._

"_Oh, would you look at that?" Setsuna asked. She stood up, towering over the prone form lying on the floor. "I might not be a good thief. Hell, I may not be a master thief, but I'm very good at what I do. Arguably, the best. Besides, I never said that I wouldn't poison my accessories." _

"_What…did…you…use?" he asked, sounding more in pain._

_Setsuna rummaged around his pack. "This other snake venom that I also acquired while I was here," she answered, feeling that he had a right to know. "Black mamba, I believe. Its effects are quite painful. Aha! Got it." She grabbed the scroll and tucked it into her uniform sleeve. Reaching into her obi, she took out an exact replica of the scroll and placed it into the travel pack. She walked into the sitting room. _

_Viper lied supine on the floor, his eyes stared up at Setsuna, and his face was sweaty. "How?" he asked._

"_I never said that I wouldn't put poison in my accessories," she repeated._

_Shifting from being informational and light in her information-sharing, Setsuna's demeanor turned serious, almost grave. "You have at least fifteen minutes before you die. Before that, you may have convulsions, cardiac arrest, and respiratory arrest before you slip into a coma and die. I just thought you should know."_

_Without another word, she left him lying on the floor._

_xXx  
_

"_What did you do to the thief?" the Nara asked._

"_What I had to," she answered enigmatically. _

_xXx  
_

_Shikamaru reached into his pack and placed it before the Hokage. As the Hokage removed the seal from the scroll, the other occupants in the room leaned closer to see its contents. As the older woman unfurled it, Setsuna's eyes widened._

"_Oh, crap." _

_

* * *

_

Chapter 6

A Day in the Life

_Day 13_

_ Just when I thought it was over, I get sucked right back in. I thought retrieving the stolen scroll would mean that it would be the end of my duty as Jiraiya's next-of-kin and his "other" apprentice. Boy was I wrong._

_ Now, what happened? Well, here's a recap. _

_As I suspected, the professional thief was Viper, well known in the underground as one of the fastest thieves in business who likes priceless artifacts and expensive objects that are considered impossible to steal and who likes nothing better than to steal said items. Of course, no one knows what his real name is, only that he's aptly named Viper because he moves like the snake, fast and deadly, and you don't even know something is wrong until it's too late. His reputation precedes him…and from what I saw, he lives up to it. And, judging by what he called me, I'm sure he knew me by reputation too. _

_Anyway, after I discovered who the thief was, Viper decided to run instead of actually fighting me, or at least try to kill me. (Wow, so _not_ like the actual snake.) While I was on the chase, I got ambushed by a bunch of Mist ninjas. After blindsiding me with some fog and chucking me with a butt-load of flying projectiles, they nearly got the drop on me until Viper decided to show up and save the day like some low-rent hero. Pfft. What a pity. I was about to slit their throats and make them die slowly and painfully. Seriously, the thief needs to work on his timing. If he had done that earlier, I wouldn't have had so many bruises and I wouldn't be as sore. Pfft. Nezumi was right—thieves are worse than assassins._

_Anyway, after killing the contract killers, Viper and I went out for a drink to catch up on what's happening in Rain Village since I left. Even after I told him that two S-class criminals would be after him for stealing the scroll, he wouldn't budge. Apparently, his client has a bigger pull than two Akatsuki members. After telling me that he doesn't want to piss off his client, he leaves. Geesh, what a douche bag. _

_So, being the good apprentice that I am, I got information from my informant and staked him out. When I slipped into his room to steal the scroll, he caught me red-handed. (Note to self: Get better at slipping in and out undetected—I am rusty.) I tried to stab him…that didn't work out. He practically kicked my ass. I managed to get a few kicks in until he got the upper hand. Then, Viper got full of himself and taunted me for not being a better thief. Instead of breaking me, he only succeeded in pissing me off and making me stab him with a poison-laced decorative senbon needle. While he was dying, I stole the scroll and left. When I went back to the inn, the teams and I packed up and left._

_Now, a new can of worms is opened because of the damn scroll._

_

* * *

_

"Oh, crap."

"That's it?" Ino loudly asked. Her disappointment was not lost on everyone in the room.

"Where's the rest of it?" Hinata asked, curious.

Lying on the desk was the unfurled scroll. Half of it was missing. Setsuna suppressed a frustrated grunt. _Well_, she thought. _We all know where this is going._ Her eyes wandered over the contents of the scroll. She spied the Hokage's eyes scanning over the important piece of paper. The blonde leader's expression turned from one of intense concentration to that of sheer revulsion.

"Why does this scroll contain one of Jiraiya's porn chapters?" The Fifth Hokage demanded. "This is supposed to be an S-class scroll."

"Yeah, one would think that an important S-class scroll would contain top-secret information that would lead to the village's downfall. And it would be so easy for any of the enemies to read once they get their hands on it," Setsuna murmured as she walked closer to the desk to study the scroll. She turned her head sideways to get a better view of the writing. "Huh, it looks like a deleted portion of _Make Out Paradise_." She tilted her head even more. "Oh. I can see why."

Ignoring the last comment, Tsunade asked, "How can you tell?"

Setsuna gave the blonde woman a look that said, "Do you really have to ask?"

"Never mind," Tsunade said as she remembered exactly how Setsuna, an outsider, was in the village in the first place. She started to stack the papers on her desk, making sure to avoid the rolled out scroll lying on the center of her desk. "Despite the events that took place in the process of retrieving the scroll, the mission is a success. You will have the next day off. Until then, you are dismissed." She turned her head to look at the uncertified ninja. "Except for you, Setsuna."

Setsuna watched the others leave; ignoring the various glances and whispers around her. When she heard the door shut, she continued to stand and watch as the Hokage read over what she assumed was the mission report. She struggled not to fidget under the intense silence and waited for the blonde leader to say something.

Tsunade looked up from the paper and placed it to her right. "Well, I suppose you know why you're here."

Setsuna shook her head. "No, not really." She paused. "Wait, has Jiraiya-sensei's condition changed while I was away?"

"No."

"Oh, okay then. Does this involve the scroll?"

"Yes and no." Tsunade exhaled a breath. "You know that Jiraiya has been pushing for your citizenship into this village since your arrival."

Setsuna carefully nodded. "Yes. I'm supposed to get formal training as a ninja at the Academy and then get tested to become a ninja for the village."

"Well, Jiraiya has mentioned your skills and potential as his apprentice. And from recent developments, you are knowledgeable of Jiraiya's work and you know Jiraiya as much as Naruto does, if not more." Tawny brown eyes stared at Setsuna, daring her to challenge the statement.

"Yes," Setsuna confirmed. "At least, I would like to think so."

The Hokage nodded. "Good, then your mission is to decode the scroll and find the missing half."

"Um, pardon me for asking, but if I'm supposed to decode the scroll and find the second part of it, how am I going to attend the Academy and get formal training at the same time? I would think that during the time to look for the second half I would be absent from school and as for the decoding, well, I'm pretty sure teachers frown upon not paying attention in class and electing to do recreational work."

Tsunade waved a dismissive hand at the young girl. "Don't worry about it. It will be taken care of. Report to me on any progress you make." Sharp eyes looked over Setsuna. "You are dismissed. Now, get yourself to the hospital. You look like hell."

Setsuna glanced down at her body and noted the familiar feeling of soreness in her chest, arms, legs, and face. Suddenly, images of her fight with Viper flashed through her mind. _Funny, I must have forgotten about it on the return trip_, she thought. With a respectful bow, she left the room and went to the hospital.

When Setsuna arrived, she spotted a familiar pink head speaking animatedly with a nurse. As soon as viridian eyes met cerulean, the rosette teenager rushed over to Setsuna.

"Setsuna!" the medic cried. "You look like hell."

Setsuna grimaced. "Thanks, Sakura. Your Hokage told me that too. It's one of the reasons why I'm here. That, and the fact that Tsunade-sama looked like she wouldn't take no for an answer. Otherwise, I would've gone about my merry way."

"Yeah," Sakura said, leading the other girl to an empty examination room. "For some reason, every ninja I ever met have this aversion to hospitals. I don't understand why."

"Maybe it's because the medic treating the ninja has a fifty-fifty chance of killing the ninja," Setsuna pointed out as they entered an examination room. "I mean, the medic has the ninja's life in his or her hands. Besides, the hospital is a perfect opportunity to kill a ninja."

"Really?" Sakura raised a pink eyebrow, humoring the other girl. She examined Setsuna's injuries and made a face. "Geez, what the hell happened to you? You look like you were tortured or something."

Setsuna chuckled darkly. "You've never seen a person getting tortured, have you?" she asked rhetorically. She waited a beat. "I got beaten almost to a pulp by a thief."

"What did he steal?" Sakura asked, curious. She methodically checked Setsuna's body for any broken bones.

"Something that belongs to this village."

The pink-haired medic accepted the vague answer. "So, you were on a retrieval mission," the medic surmised. "Did you get it?"

Setsuna nodded. "Yup. You should see the other guy." The girl barely restrained a hiss when the pink-haired medic's hands were pressing too hard on a particularly ugly bruise.

"He was beaten worse than you were?"

"He's probably dead," Setsuna answered. In an instant, her face turned grim at the reminder of how she left Viper to die.

Sakura noticed the look as she went about to heal a bruise on her abdomen. "Was it your first time killing someone?" she asked.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Setsuna glared at the ground.

"No," the medic answered. "And you're avoiding my question."

"Well, if your intention is to cheer me up and try to make me feel remotely better, don't bother." Setsuna stood up as soon as the other girl finished. "I can't believe I wasn't able to kill him fast enough. Besides, I never said it was the first time I killed a man."

Sakura flashed the girl a surprised look. "Wait, so the thief wasn't your first one? Then how many—"

"Are we done here?" Setsuna asked.

Sakura stiffened at the brusque way Setsuna interrupted but then nodded at the other girl's question. As much as the roseate wanted to pry, the fact that Setsuna was quite capable of killing someone and appeared to have no qualms about it made the former pause. "Yes, you're done. Use this healing balm for your bruises. They should be gone in a week or two." The medic handed Setsuna a small jar of healing balm.

After awkwardly thanking the young medic, Setsuna ventured out into the village. The past few days had been one big mess after another. The unnatural brunette frowned. _Had my life always been this complicated?_ She wondered as she mentally recounted what had happened since her arrival in Konoha. _Or was it Jiraiya-sensei who made it complicated?_ The girl shrugged off the notion and shook her head. _Then again…nah, it was already complicated before that. _

The girl walked on, unmindful of the various civilians around her. As she passed by the bookstore, she paused in mid-step and then scurried over to the stalls, scuttling to and fro like a crab. As soon as she saw the familiar orange-covered novel, a feeling of euphoria and giddiness erupted within her. She fought the urge to giggle.

_Oh, my god. I haven't felt this excited since that riot in a bordello in that one village._ Setsuna smirked at the memory. _I wonder why_, she wondered. Her eyes continued staring at the title as another memory filtered to the forefront of her mind.

* * *

2

Setsuna let out an angry huff as she started walking away from the inn where she and Jiraiya were staying. "You tell the man that you want to do something exciting for a change and he makes you do something that you've done before," the thirteen-year-old blue-haired adolescent muttered under her breath. "I wanted to be the one peeping in bathhouses!"

It wasn't until she passed a couple of buildings that she felt a tingling sensation. She glanced around, seeing if she was being followed. As she looked around for the second time, she quickened her pace, but it was too late. As she turned a corner, she saw a hand coming at her and a cloth covering her mouth. Then, there was darkness.

Setsuna awoke, disoriented and slumped over a bony shoulder like a sack of rice. Pretending to still be unconscious, she surreptitiously observed her surroundings. She recognized the worn path and the pattern of rocks on the ground; they were headed for the compound. Knowing there wasn't much for her to do yet, she waited.

When she heard and felt her captors' pace slow down, Setsuna was prepared and eager to kill them as soon as she escaped. She heard the gate creak open and close. A couple of paces later, another door opened. Her captor shook her awake and pushed her into, from what she could tell, the prisoners' holding cell.

Before the kidnapper could slam the door shut, Setsuna grabbed the door and stabbed him in the neck with her lethal hair stick. Shouts filled the air and adrenaline coursed through her body as she ran out in an attempt to escape. She didn't even reach the halfway point from the gate to the holding cell when the guards surrounded her and started to attack. She held them off as long as she could, but it wasn't enough as she felt something hard hit the base of her skull. Once again, her world turned black.

Setsuna woke to a dull, throbbing pain in her head. As her eyes focused, she saw her lap and tried to assess her situation. _Okay_, she thought. _I'm in a room that is surprisingly well-lit. Now, can I move?_ She tried to move her wrists, only to find that they were strapped to the arms of a chair. Again, she struggled to move her arms.

"That won't work, you know," a cold, male voice said as Setsuna tried to get out of the binds. She looked up only to find herself surrounded. She glared at the well-dressed man who spoke. "We took all of your weapons."

Setsuna glanced at the three burly men who were holding her weapons and inspecting the blades of her favorite knives and daggers. "I gathered that." There was a pause. "Taisho."

The well-dressed man smirked. "Ah, so you do know who I am."

"You're a crime lord who specializes in drugs and human trafficking, known for kidnapping girls and keeping them drugged so that they don't run away. And, you're not above using your connections in the village to cover your tracks." She glared at the man. "You're a pathetic excuse for a human being."

"Maybe, maybe not," he said. "But, you're no better than I am. After all, no ordinary girl carries that many weapons. And, they're very sharp—several of my men have cut themselves while they were inspecting the blades. So, tell me, who are you?"

"Not only that, but you're a sexist too." Setsuna grinned as she noticed the varying cuts on the men's hands. "Anyway, why should I tell you?" she asked haughtily. "You'll kill me anyway."

"That is true," the crime lord conceded. "I just want to make sure that nobody will look for you."

The blue-haired teen shrugged. "If I don't tell you, you'll torture me and kill me. If I tell you, you'll torture me and kill me. Either way, I'm screwed." Then, the girl grinned knowingly. "And either way, your men are all going to die."

Taisho raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what makes you say that?" he asked, his voice condescending. "As I recall, you're tied up and I have your weapons." He stretched his right hand out to one of his guards as if he were a doctor asking a nurse for a scalpel while performing a surgery. Likewise, the guard handed Taisho a familiar-looking knife. It was a sharp, double-edged fixed knife with a wooden handle that provided an easy grip. Setsuna had always kept it strapped to her thigh for easy access; it was her favorite.

"Huh." Setsuna looked impassive.

"From that reaction, one would think that you've been through this before," Taisho commented. He pointed the knife at her left forearm, the tip of the blade mere inches from her skin. "Now, tell me, are you a ninja?"

"A ninja?" Setsuna echoed. "What makes you say that?"

She let out a hiss as a thin red horizontal line appeared on her arm and crimson fluid started to seep out. The girl glared at the criminal.

"You cannot be a civilian," Taisho stated as if the last couple of seconds did not happen. "Most of the civilian girls that I've taken do not think to arm themselves with a couple of daggers, knives, and a short sword. So, I repeat. Who are you?"

Setsuna didn't answer. She glared at the men before her, a look of contempt in her eyes.

Taisho sighed. "Well, this looks like it will be a long night." He leaned close to the bound girl, his lips hovering over her right ear. "Rest assured, though, I will break you."

Several minutes and several cuts later, Setsuna bled from her arms and abdomen. It had taken almost all of her self-restraint and her will to not cry from the injuries she had sustained. And all the while, Taisho circled her the way a lion circled its prey.

"I must say; I am impressed. You're not like any other girl," he said, his voice filled with awe. Setsuna could hear him behind her. She felt his breath over her right shoulder as he whispered into her ear, "Most girls would break in less than twenty minutes. But, you, on the other hand, have managed not to say anything in the last thirty."

Setsuna snorted in disgust. "Too bad I can't say the same about you. You're pathetic and sadistic. I mean, torturing me with my own weapon with the sole intention of letting me bleed to death. How cruel is that?" She looked around and grinned. "But, it doesn't matter anyway. Your men are dying right as we speak."

"What—?" Finally, Tashio looked away from the young teen and turned to find his men on the floor and in pain.

"They should be dead in fifteen more minutes," Setsuna said. "They'll be going into cardiac arrest right now."

Tashio stared at the knife in his hands and looked back at his prisoner. Suddenly, it dawned on him. "You tipped them in poison. But how did you—"

Before he could finish his question, there was a loud explosion. As the smoke cleared, Setsuna could see Jiraiya standing in the doorway. Without thinking, Taisho threw Setsuna's knife at the Toad Sannin only to have the older man dodge it as the knife lodged itself into the wall. Then, without stopping, Jiraiya formed a spinning ball of chakra and plunged it into Taisho's abdomen, sending him crashing into the far wall.

"What took you so long?" Setsuna asked, grumpy.

"I had to make a quick stop along the way," Jiraiya answered blithely. He noted the bodies on the floor. "You did this?" he asked, walking past her to take care of the crime lord.

"They took my weapons and got themselves cut." Setsuna shrugged. "It's not my fault that they didn't bother to check for snake venom." She turned her head over her shoulder. She could see him tying up the prone body on the floor. "Um, Jiraiya-sensei, when you're done, can you untie me?"

"Why would I do that?" Jiraiya asked. "I thought you would be able to get yourself out by the time I arrived."

"And, normally, I would. But, the minions took all of my weapons and that sadistic bastard decided to cut me with my favorite knife. And, as you can see, I'm bleeding." She turned her head away from her sensei and blew a stray strand of hair away from her face. "And I'm still recovering from the poison that was on the knife."

Setsuna could hear footsteps walking toward her and saw Jiraiya entering her field of vision. He knelt in front of her, almost at eye-level, and began to work on the binds at her wrists. "Oh, there's something I've been meaning to ask," he said as he finished freeing her left wrist. "If you make it a habit of dipping your blades in poison, then how were you not dead when Taisho used them on you?"

"What can I say? I'm special like that," she replied.

"You know that answer won't keep me satisfied for long."

Setsuna nodded as her right wrist is freed. "I know," she said. "And when the time comes, I'll make sure that you'll be surrounded by a harem full of girls to keep you properly distracted. Now, let's go." She struggled to get up and winced in pain.

"Hold on, you've lost a lot of blood." Jiraiya grabbed several cloths and placed them on Setsuna's cuts to staunch the blood flow.

"Thanks." She grunted. Feeling less lightheaded, she went to collect her weapons. "Good thing I didn't use a hemotoxin."

"Which poison did you use?" Jiraiya asked.

"Snake venom." Setsuna put her knives and daggers in their proper hiding places. "Can we go now?"

Jiraiya assessed his young apprentice. His right shoulder burdened by the unconscious crime lord. "Yeah, let's go."

After dropping the crime lord off to the proper authorities and sending Setsuna to have her injuries looked over, she and Jiraiya were back on the road. After a couple of minutes of silence, Jiraiya cleared his throat.

"Setsuna," he began.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei?" the young girl looked up at him.

"You asked me why I let you get yourself kidnapped instead of doing other grunt work," he continued.

It took a couple of seconds for her to remember the conversation they had before she left. "Oh, right." She nodded in understanding. "You wanted me to find where they hid the girls."

"One of the reasons why I wanted you to go undercover is because I know about your past and I know what you're capable of."

Setsuna tensed and then inwardly smacked herself. _I should've known. He wasn't good at research and intelligence gathering for nothing_, she chided herself. "If you know who I am and what I'm capable of, if you know that much about me, then why did you rescue me?" She gave him a skeptical look. "Weren't you worried I might kill you in your sleep?"

He shook his head. "Nah…not really. When we met, you already knew me by reputation. And if you were to know that I'm a perverted pedophile, you would have killed me before I could say anything. But, since I'm still standing and you're still following me, you already know that I'm not that kind of a pervert." He shrugged. "Besides, you're my apprentice and I like you."

"Okay," she said. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "By the way, how did you find me?"

"Are you aware of animal summons?" Setsuna nodded. "I had one of my toads follow you at a safe distance."

"You do realize that my being your apprentice still doesn't fully explain why you rescued me. So, why did you rescue me?" she prodded.

"Since you're my apprentice in my literary affairs, you're going to have to carry on my legacy in case something happens to me," Jiraiya explained. "And if you're dead, then who's going to carry on my _Make Out_ legacy if I'm dead, indisposed, or in a comatose state?"

* * *

3

"Oh, crap. Jiraiya-sensei's in a coma _and_ he's supposed to write a manuscript for the next book in the series," Setsuna said aloud. "How in the hell am I going to write a full-length _Make Out _novel?"

"Excuse me." She whirled around and looked up to see a tall man with silver gravity-defying hair, a black mask covering most of his face, and his left eye obscured by his forehead protector. For some reason, he reminded her of a scarecrow.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Aren't you a little young to be getting _Make Out Tactics_?" the man asked.

"Yes, I am," she conceded. "But, it's a special edition novel that includes several scenes that were edited out because of its racier-than-normal content. In fact, this one actually includes the scene in which Junko visits a bordello for the first time and has to carry out her assassination mission."

"You know your novels." The man sounded impressed.

"I've read Jiraiya's work cover to cover. Some maybe more than once," Setsuna added as an afterthought. "And anyway, even if I could buy the novel for myself, why would I when I have the uncut version of the novel already?" Without bothering to see the reaction on the man's face, she left the bookstore.

The sun was warm on her face as she walked down the street. Remembering Jiraiya's words to her during the early stages of her apprenticeship, Setsuna was excited and nervous at the same time. _How in the hell am I going to ghostwrite a novel within the next five months?_ She thought to herself. Feeling in way over her head, she made her way to the ramen stand.

"Setsuna-chan!" Naruto waved her over as she approached the blond teenager.

"Naruto." She nodded and took a seat beside him. As a serving girl walked over to her, she said, "I'll have a pork ramen, please."

"Where were you? I haven't seen you in a week," Naruto said as he started on a fifth bowl of ramen.

Setsuna shrugged. "I was on a mission," she answered.

The whiskered blond looked at her pointedly. "How was it?" he asked, pressing for details.

As soon as her order was placed before her, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began eating. After her first taste of the noodles, she started telling him about the events that had happened while she was in Mist Village.

"So, did you get it?" he demanded as she paused to eat her ramen.

Setsuna nodded, her attention more focused on the bowl in front of her.

"What about the thief?" he asked.

"Taken care of," she answered. She continued eating her ramen.

When he realized that his friend wasn't going to elaborate, Naruto frowned and returned to his new bowl of ramen. "Wow," he said as he thought over what his friend had told him, "that sounds like something out of a book."

Setsuna's back straightened, her shoulders relaxed as she sat up. She turned to the blonde teenager, a look of realization in her eyes. "Naruto, you genius," she muttered. She stood, slamming some money on the counter to pay for her bill. Then, to the blonde's surprise, she gave him a one-armed hug. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Without another word, she left. She arrived at the house with a renewed vigor and set about her appointed task of carrying on her sensei's legacy. By the time it was mid-afternoon, the table was littered with scrolls, journals, and books as Setsuna worked on a general outline and character description for the novel. Just as she was taking a break and studying the copy of the first part of the coded scroll, she heard a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Setsuna asked as she saw a young woman standing on the doorstep. The young woman was attractive looking with a good complexion and who appeared to be in her twenties.

"You must be Setsuna," the young woman stated.

Setsuna nodded, her eyes cautious. "Yeah. And you are?"

"My name is Haru. Tsunade-sama sent me as a trainer to help you prepare for being a ninja. Since you can't attend the Academy, for some reason, she thought that you would benefit more if you were privately trained," Haru explained.

"Oh, okay," Setsuna said, nodding as if that made sense. "Are we going to start training now?"

"How about we get something to eat and get to know each other first?" Haru offered.

"Okay," Setsuna agreed. "Just let me clean up before we go."

* * *

4

An hour later, Setsuna and Haru were sitting in a booth at the local dango shop. Each stared at their plate of dango. A tense silence hung around the duo, reminding Setsuna of an awkward first date between a teenage boy and girl.

"So," Setsuna began. "Is this the part where we tell each other about who we are?"

Haru nodded. "Pretty much. It would help if you give me something to work with so that we could skip over the boring parts."

The teenager nodded. "That makes sense." She placed her ice tea back on the table. "I've been Jiraiya-sensei's apprentice for four years, give or take. Before that, I had some training and I travelled a lot. As of now, I need to improve my speed."

"How did you work that out?"

"On my last mission, it took me longer than I would like to take down the target." Setsuna paused to think. "And while we're at it, I should probably work on my fighting skills more. I shouldn't have had that many bruises."

"Okay," Haru said. "And your interests?"

"I have a lot of them. But, the only one worth mentioning is poisons." Setsuna sat back in her seat. "I find that they're much easier to use and they're classier."

"How so?" Haru asked. "With a kunai or a katana, you can easily injure, kill, or maim your target and there isn't that much of a waiting period for death to occur."

"That may be true," Setsuna conceded. "But, it's more obvious and it's messy. I mean, any idiot can use a weapon and kill the target, but there's also the off-chance that the person will miss. And what happens then? The target will live to see another day and the mission is a failure. With poisons, though, most people rarely give it another thought whenever they're hit by something or feel something weird. And by the time they realize something's wrong, it's usually too late."

Haru eyed the young girl. "You must have given this a lot of thought."

"Eh." Setsuna shrugged. "It was something that was drilled into me."

"You must have had a hell of a sensei."

Setsuna grinned. "You have no idea."

"Interesting," Haru replied. "I also have a preference for poisons. Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks is making sure that there isn't any contact with the poison."

"Really?" Surprise showed on Setsuna's face. "I don't have a problem with that."

Haru snorted. "For some reason, I find that hard to believe."

"Of course you would." Setsuna took a bite of some dango.

"Anyway, have you met the other senseis?" Haru asked.

Setsuna shook her head. "No, I haven't had the opportunity."

"Okay. Well, next time, I'll be sure to have Gai come with me the next time we meet. He should be able to help you improve your speed," Haru said.

"What happens if he doesn't?"

"Trust me, he will." Haru gave the sixteen-year-old a look. "If he and his protégé can't, then we're doomed."

For some strange reason, Setsuna felt a sense of dread settling over her as she heard her new teacher's words.

* * *

5

By the time Setsuna returned to the house, she had to turn on the lights before she could continue working. Several scattered books and pieces of papers later, she had written all of chapter one and was working half-way through chapter two until a book and several sheets of paper fell along with a familiar-looking scroll. She bent over to pick up the sheets of paper and the scroll, only to have her eyes glued to the particular phrase on both documents. Her eyes widened and she frowned.

"This doesn't make sense," she said as she glanced back and forth between the two documents. "This doesn't make sense at all."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_. Sorry for the long wait. I had major writer's block. And, sorry if this chapter came out more as a filler. I'll try to make the next chapter more exciting. Anyway, please tell me what you think. I always love to hear from my fans. Read and review!


End file.
